


The Devil of Denial

by o0JayWolf0o



Series: The Twisted Tempest [1]
Category: Eddsworld - All Media Types
Genre: <-- very little, Alcohol, Alcohol Abuse/Alcoholism, Angst, Angst and Humor, Anonymous Messaging, Blood and Gore, Cancer, Comfort, Depression, Eye Cancer, Fights, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Humor, Gay things :'), Humor, Implied/Referenced Torture, Kidnapping, M/M, Medication, Mental Breakdown, Mental Instability, Night Terrors, Nightmares, No Smut, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Quasiplatonic, Queer Platonic Partners, Quirkyplatonic, Service Dogs, Slow Burn, Torture, antidepressants, hangovers, physical fights, qpps
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-03-01
Updated: 2017-05-04
Packaged: 2018-09-27 06:12:35
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 14
Words: 23,246
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9979883
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/o0JayWolf0o/pseuds/o0JayWolf0o
Summary: After the events that had occurred with Tord a few months back, Tom found himself needing someone to talk to. Someone who he didn't know, and someone who didn't know him. He found someone to fill this role, and it worked out for a while! But after a series of unexpected events turn up, he finds himself in an even worse state than before and everything is becoming even more questionable. Luckily, he has support, but that doesn't last very long as disaster strikes and dread fills the gang. What they will do next, they don't know, but they know they have to take action before it gets worse...





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> (credit to lovelystories for helping me with the new summary)
> 
>  
> 
> edit (march 15, 2017): i have watched all of the eddisodes. i have also planned out a ton of stuff, so yay. i think i've gotten better at writing eddsworld now. hope ya enjoy.
> 
> note: i mean for this to only be related to the show's characters, not the directors themselves. please do not take offense by the story and please leave if the warnings in the tags may trigger you.
> 
> thank you.

Taking a sip of Smirnoff, typing noises resounded throughout the room as the man clad in a blue hoodie clicked his reply out. Glancing at the screen, he hit send, awaiting the other's response.

Ever since Tord had left for the second, and final, time, the house had been slightly quieter- aside from Matt's usual buoyancy, of course. 

"Tom!" He heard his name called by the familiar voice and spun away from the computer. 

"Yeah, Edd?" A quizzical glance was thrown toward the bedroom entrance where the figure, dubbed Edd, stood.

"Come here," the other called, not looking back to check if Tom would follow. Per usual, Tom dissed him and continued to message his new friend. They had asked to be called "Fang." Tom had agreed, they obviously didn't want anyone to know their real name. While Tom had wanted to know why he understood and told Fang to dub him Void. He felt it went with his lack of eyes.

 

Fang: so what did you do today, heard you had like.. super weird days where you live?  
Fang: news doesn't come out until tomorrow

Void: actually? nothing. i'm surprised. i mean, yesterday we found a mutant cat and it tried to kill my friend. otherwise, nothing really

 

"Tom!" Two voices shouted in unison.

 

Void: brb

Fang: wow. that sounds exciting. did you shoot it in the face, or what? and ok.

 

"What?!" Tom growled, aggravated.

Matt seemed unnerved by his tone but continued to speak as Edd stood looking at the newspaper beside him. "Tord's out of the hospital now. I wanted to go visit him soon, he said he was sorry and all. I'm pretty sure he just wanted to see my face, though." Matt pulled out a mirror, fixed a strand of hair that was jutted out of place, and shoved it back in his pocket.

"Pfft, as if I'd want to see that asshole." Tom spun back around to the computer, responding with a simple "yeah lol." 

"Come on, Tom! We can't go if you don't!" Edd leaned down and picked up his cat, shoving it in Tom's face. "Please?" Edd drew out, giving puppy eyes while Ringo meowed in confusion.

Tom rolled his metaphorical eyes, sighing. "Okay, when are we going?" He heard the 'ping' of a new message but ignored it.

"Hmm, we were thinking in 2 days? He isn't far away- just a few hours away, actually." Edd responded, flipping through the newspaper. "Oh, hey, the Red Army has disbanded.. well, about 3 months ago, apparently. Weird." Edd shrugged, turning around. Matt was already gone, and Edd was presumably going to find Matt or arrange the plans. Tom sighed, spinning around quickly to answer.

 

Void: yeah lol

Fang: damn. i wish i was there :/  
Fang: anything else, or..?

Void: er, no. we were planning to do something tomorrow, but we're gonna see a friend in a bit. ugh. i don't even like him  
Void: please save me

Fang: i cannot, for i live.. er  
Fang: i don't know how far away i live from you

Void: rip

Fang: let's just pretend i live across the world or smth

Void: seems legit. ok.

Fang: erm, gtg. phone call. and i have to do stuff. 

Void: okay :V

 

 Taking one last sip of Smirnoff, Tom capped the flask and set it down. He knew his limit and was sure not to cross it now- what if Matt or Edd needed him? He certainly didn't want to send drunk messages to Fang, either.

As the man stood up, his vision suddenly blurred. "Wo-woah.." He stumbled. The feeling of nausea came and passed quickly, confusing him, as his vision also returned to its regular sharpness. Tom knew for a fact that that mishap hadn't been the vodka's doing, so... what was it? He brushed the odd feeling that came with this off and walked into the living room, where Edd was on the phone. Matt was crouched down by the television, putting in a CD. Tom assumed it was "Insane Zombie Pirates from Hell 6," it had come out last night and you'd all been dying to see it.

"Oh, um, yeah, we were thinking we'd stay for a week," Edd spoke on the phone, fiddling with his hoodie strings. "Hmm? Oh yeah, he is. No, Tord, he's gonna come. What? I think he's gonna do that already." Edd cast a glance toward you. "Okay.." Tom sat down on the couch, throwing an impatient look toward Edd. "How about we aim for 3 pm? Okay. Seeya, then." Edd hung up. "'kay, let's play!" The green clad man practically leaped onto the couch, stealing the remote from Matt and pressing the 'play' button.

 

 

Laughter emitted from Tom as he watched the final clip of the movie. Edd chuckled nervously at the mangled body on the screen where Matt was shivering. Catching their eyes, Tom's joy ceased. "What?" he asked. Edd stuck his tongue out innocently, prompting both Matt and Edd to laugh. Tom rolled his eyes, thinking about the movie before standing up and stretching. "Welp, it's-" he pulled his phone out, "11:39 PM. I'm going to sleep," Tom announced.

Matt and Edd yawned, mumbling agreement as they stalked off into their separate apartments. Tom grabbed a bag of chips in his kitchen and returned to his room, sitting at his computer. Checking for his friend resulted in a disappointed sigh- he was offline. Shoving a handful of chips in his mouth, Tom checked Tumblr. Nothing seemed to interest him. Once finished with his snack, Tom laid down on his bed, content. It was now midnight, and he was tired.

He pulled his pants and hoodie off, dropping them on the floor and curling into his warm bed. Shutting his eyes, Tom let sleep wash over him. 

..or, tried to. 

As soon as he fell asleep, nightmares assaulted him, reminding him of his father's death and loss of friends. Reminded him of the hate Tord brought to him. Reminded him of how  _stupid_ and  _rude_ he was.

 

_"Haha, classic stupid Tom!" the voice rang, sparking anger in Tom's SOUL as he struggled under the mechanical couch. Usually, this sort of thing would not render Tom useless. He was strong, but this couch was so... **heavy**. As a feeling of dread pulled at his chest, he felt another rumble come from within someone._

_"Haha, yeah... classic stupid Tom," Edd spoke reluctantly._

_Anger and sorrow boiled over Tom and he used newfound strength to push the couch off of him. "You want my room? Take it!" Tom snapped, ignoring the debris that tumbled from the decently large hole above him. "This place is too crowded anyway!" Tom steamed, stomping out of the house and down the road to who knows where._

 

The rest of his dreams- nightmares, truthfully- were full similar caliber. When he woke up, he was trembling, yet checked the time. 2:46 AM. He shut his phone off and curled in on himself, shaking violently. "Stupid... stupid, stupid, stupid!" he whispered, squeezing his eyes shut.

Once he'd finally been able to calm himself, he stood up on wobbly legs and shuffled over to his computer. Clicking the power button, it turned on, briefly blinding him. Allowing his non-existant eyes to adjust, he plopped down onto the office chair with a sigh and pulled earbuds into his ears. He opened Spotify and Google Hangouts, checking to see if Fang were on. Sadly, he was not, as Tom had assumed. Who'd want to be up at 6 AM? Sighing once more, he put on a song and began to scroll through Tumblr. It was when he came upon a particularly funny shitpost that he started laughing, causing his hand to brush across something cold. Opening his eyes, Tom recognized the dim silver of the flask of Smirnoff that was half-empty, begging to be drunk.

Smiling, he grabbed the flask and opened it, guzzling down what was left quickly. He liked the way it slid down his throat, leaving a slight tingle. Quietly, he stood up and walked out of his room to grab another bottle. Shutting the door quietly he walked over into his kitchen and swung the door open, revealing his collection of bottles. He looked at the flask and shrugged, placing it on the counter (which was rather clean might he add) and grabbed a bottle. Shivering at the temperature, he popped the lid off and began to drink.

Grabbing another bottle for later, Tom shut the door with his foot and trudged over to the couch, setting his drinks down on the wooden table in front of him. After shoving his hand in between the couch cushions and digging around for a comically long amount of time, the television screen flickered on and he sat back. Taking a swig of the Smirnoff, the man channel surfed before landing on Hell's Kitchen, laughing drunkenly at Gordon Ramsay's frustrated yelling. It was, to put it blunt, very exciting- well, for the alcohol-induced Tom, it was.

Falling asleep to the sound of critques being thrown to and fro was something Tom never would have imagined would have happened.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> do you guys like this story?  
> also to my fellow readers who come from mf, aeos, and solod im taking a hiatus on those stories  
> soz

Tom stumbled into Edd's apartment, the last remnants of his hangover dissolving with a quick gulp of water. "Yeah?" He called, swinging the door shut behind him.

"Well, Matt and I were planning on playing some kind of game while we waited for another adventure to happen," Edd stated, sitting cross-legged on the floor with Matt across from him.

"Hmm, okay. What're we doing?" Tom flopped down adjacent to the pair and blinked, waiting.

Edd opened his mouth to reply, but Matt hastily beat him to it. "Truth or Dare!" the cheery companion recommended.

"..Seriously?" Tom sighed, shifting to get more comfortable. After an affirmative nod from Matt, Tom rolled his eyes and settled. "Okay. I get to make the rules." He glanced at the duo, waiting for objections. When he got none, he continued. "You're not allowed to dare someone to do a truth. If someone doesn't want to do a dare or truth you give, you can give them a second dare that they have to do. It can't be the same as the first. Oh, and whoever does the most of what we are told wins because it's not so boring this way." Tom concluded, leaning forward with a smirk. "So.. who's first?"

"Me!" Matt exclaimed joyously. "Hmm.." He turned to Tom. "Truth or dare?"

By the glint in his eyes, Tom could tell he wanted him to say dare. "Dare."

Orbs lighting up, Matt cleared his throat. "I dare you to play Tord's theme song on your bass."

A beat of silence passed, then Edd started cackling. Matt was smiling like an idiot, the proudest grin on his face. "Ugh, fine." Tom stood up, walking out of the apartment. When he returned, still tuning Susan, he sat on the couch. Pulling up the chords, he strummed a bit before beginning. "I hate you, Matt," he grumbled. Clearing his throat, he began.

" _Sunshine, lollipops and rainbows,"_ before Tom could even finish the first few words the duo on the floor burst out laughing, but Tom continued. He would _not_ be beaten!

" _Everything that's wonderful is what I feel when we're together_ ," Tom sang louder to top their mellifluous cries of amusement. " _Brighter than a lucky penny,_ " Tom strummed his fingers, letting them glide across Susan's strings. " _When you're nea-"_ Tom's singing ceased as he heard their guffaws died down into giggling. 

"You can stop now, Tom," Edd chuckled, smiling like he had won the lottery. Tom sighed, looking down at Susan before standing up and shoving his phone in his pocket. He put Susan away quickly before sitting down back in his spot on the carpet.

"Okay. Hmm, so, Matt, truth or dare?" Tom asked curiously.

"Err, truth?" Matt replied, as if he was unsure.

Tom grinned. "What is your least favorite part of yourself?"

Matt opened his mouth as if he'd known what his answer would be beforehand before his posture practically melted. "Huh... Gah, you're not fair!" He pouted, making Edd snort. "Well, I suppose... no, no, I can't do this! I love myself! Next dare, please?" Matt asked. Tom nodded, thinking a little.

A smirk came across his eyes, and he shared a glance with Edd. Tom knew one of Matt's only weaknesses and was going to use that to his ultimate advantage. "You," Tom's finger landed on Matt and lazily scrolled over to Ringo, "have to put peanut butter on your face and let Ringo lick it off. If Ringo doesn't, you can't wash your face off in 3 rounds." Edd started quietly laughing- he was clearly enjoying this.

Horror struck across Matt's face, and he visibly shuddered. "C-come guys, we're friends, right?" Tom simply smiled in response, raising his eyebrows as he magically pulled a jar of peanut butter and a confused cat from behind him. "Oh, that's just not fair!" Matt protested, sighing. "Fine." Matt took the peanut butter and unscrewed it while Tom began to stroke Ringo. "Um, do I not get a spoon to use, or..?" Matt looked around the floor.

"Oh, yeah," Tom commented, reaching behind him to see if there was a spoon or something. Somehow, there was, but nobody questioned it- weirder things had definitely happened, like Tom's eyes and parents. Handing the spoon to Matt, both Tom and Edd sat back and anticipated the destruction.

"Wait, I don't have to get it in my hair, right?" Matt suddenly said, alarmed. 

"If you don't hurry up you will," Edd replied, glaring at Ringo who was trying to stuff his small head into the jar of peanut butter.

"Okay, jeez.." Matt lifted the spoon in distaste before simply shrugging and smearing some on his cheeks. He gagged a little, making uncomfortable noises before grabbing Ringo and lifting him to his face. "This is so disgusting.." He mumbled as Ringo's pointed tongue ran across his cheeks briskly.

Edd's expression was filled with mirth as he watched the scene go down. Ringo cleaned off all of the peanut butter within 5 minutes and was now confused as to why it was so sticky in his mouth. "Mrr-row!" The cat worked its jaws, trying to dislodge the peanut butter from his teeth. Tom chuckled, watching Matt wipe his face of saliva.

"Ugh.. okay, Edd, truth or dare?" Matt asked, discarding the paper towel.

After tapping his chin for a moment, Edd replied with, "Truth."

A sly grin spread across Matt's squared chin. "If you were forced to kiss any of us, who would it be?" 

Edd knew his answer, but seemed nervous. "Err..." Fidgeting his hands, he buried his head in his hands and mumbled his answer. 

"What?" Tom asked, leaning forward.

Without speaking, Edd jabbed a finger at Tom, smiling sheepishly with a red face. Tom's eyes widened- Matt's did too, clearly expecting Edd's answer to be him. "Um. A-anyways," Edd cleared his throat. "Tom, truth or dare?"

Eyes darting to the side, he answered. "Truth, I guess."

"Okay, what's the best joke you've ever heard?" Edd asked, forgetting his reveal.

"My life," Tom answered, face expressionless. "Edd, truth or-" 

"Wait, wait, can we talk ab-" Matt asked, nervous.

"Truth," Edd said, as if nothing bad had happened, though he was sweating profusely.

"Ugh, why always truth? Anyways, when you asked what we should do for our 100th comic, what did you mean?" Edd froze, eyes darting around.

"Well, if you'll look outside," Edd stuck a finger to the window. Both Matt and Tom's gazes travelled to it before looking back.

"Um.." Matt was confused, staring at the spot Edd had been. "Why is there a block of cheese where he was? Edd, did you get powers again?" Rubbing the back of his neck, Matt's eyes ping-ponged around, looking for the green-clad man.

Tom shrugged, taking a bite of the cheese. "This was boring. I'm going to my apartment." He ate the rest of the, admittedly good, cheese before leaving, thinking about nothing in particular.

Once he strode into his apartment, he made a beeline to his room and sat on his swivel chair, ready to message Fang.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts?


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow um  
> 2 chapters and already 100+ hits?  
> thanks

"Rise and shine, Tom!" The voice of Matt startled Tom awake.  
  
"Wha' time is it?" Tom groaned.  
  
"Time to pack up, we're leaving to Tord's in a few hours," Matt walked out of Tom's room leaving him aloof.  
  
"Ugh, why do we have to go to that stupid commie's house?" Tom grumbled, sliding out of bed to pull his pants and hoodie on. Popping an anti-depressant into his mouth and swallowing it dry, he ran a hand through his hair and walked into his kitchen. He placed some toast in the toaster and grabbed a few boxes Matt had left for him in the living room, ready to fill his stuff up.   
  
After he'd placed a few pairs of clothing in a box, he heard the toaster go off and walked over, carefully picking the bread out. He spread some jelly and butter on it before taking a bite, relishing the flavors that exploded in his mouth.  
  
He grabbed his phone, not bothering to check the time, and stuffed it into his hoodie pocket. He grabbed a few more possessions, filled a box with butterscotch candies (he had found they are a favorite of his recently), and cleaned Susan. He cleared his history and told Fang he couldn't talk much today before shutting his desktop off. When he was done putting Susan away, he made sure everything was in place before walking into Edd's place.  
  
"Hey Tom!" the Brit greeted.  
  
"Heya. Are we taking Ringo?" Tom asked, nuzzling the kitten he'd picked up.  
  
"Yep. Are you ready? Matt is, he's fixing his hair right now." Edd shut a box, loading it on a rolling platform.  
  
"Yeah. How far does Tord live, anyway?"  
  
"Hmm," Edd tapped his chin. "Probably 30 or 40 minutes drive, I'd say." He rolled the boxes out into the hallway. Tom followed.  
  
"Er, okay. I'll go get my stuff and tell Matt we're leaving," Tom told Edd, stalking into Matt's apartment.  
  
   
  
   
  
Pulling into the apartment, Tom's eyes- or lack thereof- landed on a large, red house. He sighed, crawling out of his blue car and watching the other two pull up. Edd jumped out of his car and hastily ran over to Tord's door, rapping on the wood. "Tord, it's Edd, Matt, and Tom!" he called, pausing his knocks.  
  
As he was getting ready to knock again, the door opened, revealing Tord who was clad in his red hoodie. He wore an eye gauze that had fabric running along his head, scars etched into the right side of his face. To top it off, his hand was robotic. He must have replaced it.  
  
"Er, hello, Edd," Tord said awkwardly, and Edd smiled and launched into a hug, though it was gentle. Tord wrapped his arms around Edd, closing his eye. Matt joined in, but Tom simply gathered his few boxes and placed them in the grass by the door. Tord narrowed his eye and Tom stuck his tongue out, but eventually the group hug broke off. "Allow me to show you your rooms, and then once you unpack we can talk," Tord led them inside. Abandoning his boxes, Tom and the rest followed the male.  
  
Walking in, the living room was a nice turquoise with brown borders on the doors. There was an arch leading to the kitchen on the left, which was gray with black marble flooring. It seemed very clean with the exception of a few dishes in the two sinks. Looking straight ahead, past the large flat-screen TV and gaming systems, were stairs that were carpeted alike the living room. Left of the stairs was a hallway that turned left, the walls also turquoise. The doors themselves were brown, much like the accents.  
  
Tord lead you all into the hallway. There were four doors, all on the right of the hallway- one was green, which was Edd's, another purple, which was Matt's (and the biggest of the rooms, conveniently). Lastly, there were two brown doors. The smaller one, on the very end, was Tom's, and the other was a bathroom. After the introduction, the crew grabbed their stuff and unpacked. Matt got help from Tord since he had the most items, and Edd and Tom put their stuff away silently. Tom found, walking into his room, that the walls were blue- much like his hoodie- and the floor was checkered. Strange, why would Tord fix this up for him? Regardless, there was a plush bed in his room with a nightstand and dresser, as well as a closet to the side for clothing (and he assumed that Edd and Matt had the same set up as him). Sighing, Tom placed his stuff away and pulled his phone out.  
  
When he opened Google Hangouts, he noticed he had a few messages from Fang.   
  
   
  
Void: i won't be able to talk much today  
  
Fang: ok that's fine  
Fang: also same some stuff is going on  
Fang: seeya tomorrow i guess  
  
   
  
Abandoning the conversation, he clicked onto his Tumblr. Quickly checking his notifications, he groaned, finding he had nothing to do. He opted to go out and see what his friends were doing before a knock was at his door. "Come in," Tom said, pocketing his phone.  
  
Edd walked in, looking awkward. "We're gonna discuss stuff with Tord," he stated, before turning on his heel and walking away. Tom sighed, getting up and following the brunet seeing as he had virtually no other choice. As he walked past, he peeked into the other rooms. As he'd thought, they all had special interiors and large beds with nice furniture. Kind of like his. As he entered the living room, he found his spot on the couch was the far right, where Tord was on the far left with Matt and then Edd beside where Tom would be. He let himself fall onto the cushion, melting into the fabric as he waited for Matt and Tord's random discussion to end.  
  
When they were done, Tord cleared his throat.  
  
"I.. I am sorry. What I did, I regret. I assume you all know the Red Army, yes? ...Well, I was.. Heh, I was the leader of it, actually." A stunned silence flitted in the air. Confusion mingled with it, as well as the longing to ask questions- yet the trio held off. Tom had known this, it was kind of obvious, so he closed his eyes and patiently waited for Tord's voice to greet his ears once more. "Ah... yes. That is why I needed the robot. My original plan was not to hurt any of you. I did not want to, and I didn't try to." Tom scoffed at this. Right, right, it wasn't like he had a scar on his left arm or anything. Tord either didn't hear him or ignored him, for he continued. "I needed it for the army. I would have joined you all, but as you know, the Red Army is a very large force... I could not simply leave someone to run it, it would fall apart." Tord chuckled humorlessly. "I was planning a raid, and so I got to the robot. I didn't really need it, but it would make the whole mission much easier. I also missed our adventures... The fights we have at the base are not nearly as fun and exciting as our adventures were. I resolved to spend a while with you before returning. And I don't regret it. But.. I kind of realized, that since I cannot see from my right eye and I have no.. real arm, it would be foolish to continue ruling the Red Army. So.. I let two friends of mine take over. Many people still, er, follow me, in a sense, and I still have an abundance of money from it, but I do not help with the fights anymore. I wanted to retire from that. I invent stuff, like this couch, to get money now. So, I am sorry. Even if I did blow your house up.." Tord finished. Tom didn't fail to notice the occasional crack in his voice or times he needed a breath as if it hurt him to revisit the past.  
  
A few beats of silence followed the outburst before Matt leaned over and hugged Tord. "It's okay! I understand!" Tom wanted to roll his eyes- this was not a valid answer. Instead of making a remark, though, he watched as Edd piled on top of them and wrapped his arms around Tord as well, mindful of his right side. Tom assumed that, if Edd was anything to go by, he should accept Tord's apology. If Edd trusted him, Tom, somewhat, did as well. Before Tom could voice his thoughts, though, his vision blurred, his eyes straining to see far.   
  
"Wh-" He scrambled for a hold on the couch, eyes darting around wildly. Why couldn't he see? He started breathing faster, interrupting the warm moment the trio still on the couch had been sharing moments before. A wave of nausea washed over him as he stood up, and before he could say anything more, his senses rendered numb as he fell unconscious.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thoughts?


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hahah wow i actually updated 2 days in a row this is a miracle!
> 
> so dont expect updates this quick please i am just super into this story and want to know myself when i will end it?? hopefully not too soon i mean i have a lot of stuff and easter eggs i want to add into it as well as a ship that i won't add just yet because it isn't here! :>
> 
> (thank you for 200 hits! ik u guys cant see the hits count but it is currently 196!)

Waking up was dreadful, as a headache greeted the blue-clad man almost immediately. He groaned, squinting his eyes as he woke up from his fall. Tom was propped up on Edd, who was sitting on the turquoise wall just behind them. Edd's legs found themselves stretched out underneath Tom with the eyeless male on Edd's lap, Edd's arms curled around Tom's shoulders as he lay back to keep him supported. "Tom! Are you okay?" Matt asked as Tom's headache cleared.

"I.. guess?" Tom's arms fell limp as Edd stopped supporting his arms. It was a little awkward of a position, but Tom didn't mind- he felt comfortable and warm where he was. "My vision blurred, and I passed out.. How long was I out, actually?"

"Oh, only about 2 minutes," Edd spoke up, making Tom feel the vibrations of his vocal outburst glide around him. Tom glanced back, seeing Edd with a light blush on his cheeks.  _He must be hot,_ Tom thought, rolling off of him and onto the couch. 

"Well, I'm okay now. My vision is... relatively clear," Tom squinted his eyes once more, noticing it was slightly blurred. He shrugged, looking around. Edd plopped down on the couch, making the weight dip a bit.

"Er, I have some pizza on the way, if any of you are hungry?" Tord spoke up. He was walking from the corner of the room, near the kitchen, where a house phone sat. He was either oblivious to the commotion or didn't care, but Tom was sure of the latter.

The group nodded their affirmation as Matt invited Tord to a video game. He declined, saying he had some stuff to do in his room, and walked upstairs where his assumed room sat. Edd took Tord's place and they played on the Xbox One while Tom went to his room. Maybe Fang was online now?

Shutting his door behind him, he hopped onto the plush bed and kicked his shoes off, pulling his phone out. It was 3 pm, and he had 87% left of his battery life. Ignoring this, he tapped in his password and opened Google Hangouts. Sure enough, Fang was online. 

 

Void: hey

Fang: hello :V

Void: so  
Void: what's up?

Fang: nothing really... some ppl are over but that's really it  
Fang: gonna eat soon

Void: oh same   
Void: we have this really weird schedule where we're like on at the same time lol it's weird

Fang: yeah i was a little freaked out when you got online because i just got on

Void: see what i mean??

Fang: lol yea  
Fang: soo i am working on a new invention, wanna see?

Void: wow ok, what does it do?

Fang: the short version of it would be that it is a roomba but it's made so cats and sit and sleep on it, it's more comfortable than normal for them  
Fang: i am working on it for my friend

Void: that sounds cute  
Void: i wish i could put my friend's cat on there that would be so funny XD

Fang: pfft  
Fang: i would show ya a picture but idk  
Fang: lazy 

Void: i cri everytiem

Fang: well im gonna work on it a little so bye

Void: mk cya

 

With that, Tom got up and decided to go and see if the pizza was there or not. Stretching, he padded out of his room, still unfamiliar with the royal blue that coated the walls, and swung the door open. Closing it behind him, he pulled a butterscotch candy out of his pocket and unraveled it, popping the treat into his mouth. He rounded the corner of the hallway and was greeted by the sight of Edd by the door, Tord following, with a man holding a box there. After a quick conversation, Edd returned to the couch and Tord paid for the three boxes of pizza. As the door clicked shut, Tord walked over and placed the three pizza boxes on the coffee table in front of them opening them all. "Help yourselves," he said, sitting down between Matt and Edd and taking a pepperoni pizza slice. Matt took one with pineapples on it and offered Tom a slice.

"N-no, Matt." Tom shook slightly, reminded of his father. The ginger shrugged and ate as Tom picked out a pepperoni piece and took a swift bite. The flavors mingled with the butterscotch he'd finished, yet it was not unpleasant. Swallowing a few bites and listening to the television (which had, at some point, been turned on), Tom let his mind wander a bit. He had to admit, Professor Why wasn't the most attention-grabbing show you'd watch, but it was pretty much the only thing on. Watching the show now (and cringing whilst doing that), Tom grabbed another slice of pizza after swallowing the crust. He took a bite, listening to the show while experiencing second-hand embarrassment.

"Professor, we're stuck and the dinosaur might get us! Whatever could we do?" The blonde on the screen said.

"Don't worry, Stacy, I have a magical taxi that can magically spawn from anywhere and save us!" A taxi rolled down the hill.

"Ugh, this show is lame," Tom said. Murmurs of agreement followed. Tom pulled his phone out, taking another bite of pizza in the process. He checked his hangouts and turned the volume down. Fang was online. Success! Typing with one hand, Tom began texting.

 

Void: u back?

Fang: yep  
Fang: and eating food

Void: same

 

Tom reached out to grab a third slice of pizza just as Tord did, but he didn't mind. Their hands didn't brush and he was thankful for that. He leaned back and checked his phone.

 

Fang: so what are u doing?

Void: meh, nothing really. it's boring here

Fang: same. i thought inviting these ppl over would be more exciting, but i guess not

Void: how's the project going?

Fang: well, but i'm not working on it right now  
Fang: say.. do you play video games often?

Void: yep, i do

Fang: what's your favorite?"

Void: i don't really have one i guess

Fang: aw   
Fang: mine is bo3

Void: oh cool i play that

Fang: can you play it right now?

Void: i would but someone might get mad?? i don't know

Fang: that sucks  
Fang: but i guess i won't play  
Fang: have a favorite horror game?

Void: ehh, yea.  
Void: it's bendy and the ink machine. i know it's not that scary but i like the theme

Fang: ??   
Fang: i guess i will google it

Void: k

 

Tom had eaten his fourth slice by now and was stuffed. He really wanted a drink, though. "Tord?"

Tord looked up from his phone. "Mhm?"

"Do you have any Dr. Pepper?" Tord nodded, looking back down at his phone. Tom was glad that this conversation hadn't turned hostile. He stood up, watching Edd run over to Ringo to pet him. Walking into the kitchen, which was surprisingly clean, he made his way over to the stainless steel fridge. Pulling it open, he found some cans of Dr. Pepper and grabbed one, popping the lid open before taking a long swig. The fizzle and crack of the soda glided over his tongue and satisfied him as he shut the door of the fridge and sauntered back to the couch. he sat down, noticing Edd was now gone. As the couch dipped under his weight, the only thing separating Tom and Tord being Matt, his phone went off in his pocket. He pulled it out and began to read the text.

 

Fang: ? that looks like disney tbh

Void: it kinda is

Fang: what

Void: just watch someone lets play it

Fang: okay brb then

 

Tom sighed, putting his phone on his lap and clicking the screen off. He grabbed a butterscotch, failing to notice how Tord was now putting earbuds in, and unwrapped the treat, popping it into his mouth. While he sat there, leaned against the couch and Matt, who was inspecting himself with his mirror, he let his mind wander about what Fang might look or sound like in real life.

It was kinda of strange, though, because he felt like he already knew the person- and very well, at that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> honestly if you haven't figured the thing that's goin on with fang then idk what to do with you :)
> 
> so what do u think it is yo
> 
> also what do you think about tom's blackout?? i love feedback!
> 
> maybe you even wanna tell me your favorite game -w-?


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> have some angst because i got yelled at!!!!! yay!!!!!!
> 
> er, thanks for 250 hits. i didnt really expect this to get many views, haha.

Stepping out of his room, Tom walked a short distance before gasping. "Holy snowflake in an ant bed, it's a chair!" he shouted, running over to the randomly-placed chair. 

"Really?" Edd leaned out of his room before gasping as well. "Oh my god! I don't care." Edd turned around and Tom's posture lessened. He stepped into the living room where Tord was watching television. It had been 2 days since Tom and the others had arrived here, today being the second... Not much had changed- Tom had talked with Fang every day, learning about the Roomba-cat-bed (which had been named the Purroomba, courtesy of Tom) and even gotten an image of the unique design. It was just like a regular Roomba but the mold on the top was modified slightly.

Before sitting down, Tom realized he hadn't yet taken his anti-depressants. Turning around, he made his way into his rooms and opened his butterscotch box. He was positive he'd placed it here... As he filtered out the candies, it was apparent that the pills were not in the box. He started sweating, looking in various boxes and drawers. He even checked under the bed and in the bathroom cabinets but there were none.

This was a serious issue. Tom had not ever told Matt or Edd he needed these, he simply could not ask them for the pills. It was quite obvious why he could not ask Tord, either. "Fuck," he muttered, rubbing his face. His eyesight was blurred ever so slightly, making it difficult to see. He stumbled out of his room in a daze, walking down the hallway and turning right into the living room as if he wasn't on the verge of a panic attack. What was worse was the ride back home was far too long- he'd be caught. What if they weren't even there? Tom forced himself to stop pacing, taking a deep breath. His trembling slowed slightly but was still visible.

"Tom!" Someone's voice sounded. He whipped his head to the side, alarmed. Was he in the living room? Taking a glance around, he confirmed he was.

"W-what?" He asked, realizing he was looking at Edd, who was by Matt on the couch.

"What's wrong?" Edd's face was worried, Matt the same (if not worse). 

"Er, nothing. I'm fine. Sorry. Spaced out," Tom made to turn back and to his room before Tord walked down stairs. 

"Hey, Edd, I want to give this to you to.. to thank you. For everything, I guess," Tord scratched the back of his head with his normal arm. In his robotic one, he held a green box without wrapping, labeled 'Edd.' Edd jumped up, forgetting about Tom's crisis (which even he, the eyeless man himself, had forgotten about at this point). Tom pushed his hands into his pocket as Edd took the rather heavy box and set it on the coffee table. He popped the lid off and tore out some newspaper before gasping. From his view, Tom could not see what the item was.

"Oh my gosh!" Edd exclaimed, then turned to Tord. Tom and Matt mimicked him. "What is it?"

"The Purroomba."

 

If someone's heart could skip a beat or have the happiness ripped out of them in mere seconds, this would have been the moment to describe it.

Time seemed to slow down. Tom went rigid, smile gone before you could see it. His face drained of color and his eyes became haunted. His chest tightened and a ball formed in his throat, making breathing seem next to impossible as he began to shake excessively. Something seemed to shake him, but Tom could not think. His blood seemed to freeze. Fang? This was Fang?  ** _Tord was Fang?!?_** The person he texted every day with, the person he had grown fond to and was admittedly another one of his good friends, the person he looked forward to seeing, was also the person he wished would rot, who would simply die a painful, slow death. The words echoed and bounced around in his head.  _The Purroomba. The Purroomba. The Purroomba. The Purroomba._

It's not okay. It's not okay. It's okay. It's okay. Keep it together. Smile, Tom. Why aren't you smiling? Why aren't you happy for Edd? Smile, Tom. It's not that hard. It's okay.

"Tom! Snap out of it!" Tom blinked, looking down at Edd. "Tom? Oh, god, I thought I lost you. Are you okay? Well, no, you're not... Sit down, please," Edd mumbled, pushing Tom toward the couch. He obliged, sitting down shakily. His vision flitted over to Tord before he froze again, breaths coming short and shallow. "Tom, what happened?" Edd asked. Tom squeezed his eyes shut. 

"N-nothing, it's-" Tom began, his voice quiet when Edd cut him off.

"It is most definitely not nothing! I just witnessed you have an anxiety attack!" Tom flinched.

Eyes ping-ponging back and forth between Tord and Edd, Tom buried his head in his hands. "It doesn't matter," he whispered. "It doesn't matter anymore," he whispered barely audible. He felt so betrayed. Why would Tord do this? Surely he had known that Tom was Void. Had tricked him. No, of course, he knew. He had been going to gain his trust and break him, just like now. "It's my fault," he repeated. Tom didn't realize how hard he was shaking until Edd hugged him.  _Hugged_ him. Nobody ever hugged Tom, in all truthfulness. Sure, every now and then Matt and Edd would hug, or Tom would lean against one of them, but they'd never seen him this bad. 

"Tom, stop. It's okay. Nobody will hurt you. You are safe," Edd whispered to Tom. His shaking ceased a bit, though not enough for him to feel much better.

Tom's eyes glanced at Tord again. He looked..  _shocked._ Why would he be shocked? Tord seemed rigid, gaze unblinking from the pair on the couch as confusion and worry clouded his gaze. Why would he be worried? He'd tried to kill Tom after all. Maybe Tord was just worried because he wouldn't be able to talk to Edd if Tom was sad because of him. He kind of deserved it, though. He felt so...  _betrayed._ He'd opened up to someone, and found out they were playing tricks with him.

Tom shook his head. He had only let a few tears slip, he wasn't the kind of person who cried easily. Taking another deep breath, he pushed Edd lightly off of him and stood up, shaking slightly. "Edd, I'm okay, it was a panic attack... Not anxiety," Tom lied. He knew Edd would be much less worried if Tom said that. Edd, as expected, sighed. 

"Well, are you okay now? I can get you some water," Edd offered, a glint of pity in his eye. Tom thought on this, trying to rid himself of any thoughts of Fang, before nodding. Edd rushed into the kitchen and filled the cup, leaving Tom alone with an extremely confused Tord and alarmed Matt. They'd been silent through the whole ordeal. Edd found his way back to Tom and handed him the water, and carefully guided him back to his room. "Do you need anything else?" Edd asked, tone quiet as to not make Tom flinch. Tom thought for a moment before sipping his water and shaking his head.

"Thank you," he said, looking into Edd's hazel eyes.

He was met with a smile. "You're welcome." Edd searched Tom's face for a moment more before walking out of the room, shutting the door quietly. Tom looked around, only now noticing that his vision was more blurred than before. He didn't really care.

It was then Tom decided he could break down.

He did just that.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh god  
> wow  
> this sucked  
> so did you guys know fang was tord??? i mean i do not think i hid it very well????  
> PLEASE LEAVE FEEDBACK IM LONELY?????????


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> help me I wrote all of this in one sitting??? I don't have my grammar app because I am on a separate computer so I used a worse version idk I didn't find many errors tho  
> sorry abt that

Tom couldn't sleep.

For the rest of the day after the 'Fang is Tord' ordeal, Tom had not left his room. He had quietly had his moment alone, thinking, and now he was hungry, sad, angry, and frustrated. Nothing seemed to be okay now. Yes, he'd played Susan to distract him, but eventually it got.. _boring._ Now here he sat, in his boxers and a shirt, thinking in the darkness. He had not brought Smirnoff on the way here and way now simply here with his depressing thoughts, waiting for sleep to take him.

A slight sound came from his window yet he ignored it, digging his palms into his eyes as the heaviness of the events really hit him. Someone he had at last opened up to and become, admittedly close, friends with, was his nemesis- the antagonist to the main character of a story. Tord had tried to kill him- Tom would never forgive him for that, and nor would he ever let himself forget (he always has the long scar on his left arm that was no longer able to fade). He wasn't even sure why he had come with Edd and Matt to see the stupid commie, hadn't they learned their lesson? Tord _didn't need friends._ Tord was a _liar_.

But then he thought about the flip side. Fang. Fang was interesting. He was kind, though protective of his secrets. He was a fan of many things Tom had found interests in as well, and on top of that was excessively smart (Tom was jealous of this, for he was the smartest of the trio he loved). He was fun to talk with, much like Edd, but seemed to be chill as well, like he, the eyeless man himself, was. He was slightly aggressive, not to mention, but normally covered that flaw up when he induced Tom with topics they both seemed to like hearing of.

He was so conflicted. He could trust Fang, but Tord was different. How were they the same person? It made no sense to Tom. He cried out a string of colorful words into his pillow, which was still soaked from his earlier deprivation. He didn't know what to do. He was so lost. He knew this was a huge issue- who does he trust? Should he stop talking to Tord? Does Tord even know Tom is Void? Was he planning this? Does Tord hate Tom so much he wanted to drive him to the point of insanity? If that was the case, he was succeeding. Tom was afraid.

He knew he should tell someone, but something told him he shouldn't. What if Tord _hadn't_ been planning this? Unlikely, but  the confusion from earlier made him think about it.

Tom had to bring this to an end. He could take his time, he knew wasn't getting any sleep tonight, but what if, even then, he could not decide?

He went over the scenarios.

Say he tells them. Say, Tord did not knew Void was Tom. Tord may soften on him, but he may not. It was risky- maybe Tord would think Tom was targeting him? What if he actually killed Tom? Well, he wouldn't care, death seemed like a nice option at this point if he were to be completely honest with himself. Edd and Matt may think he was stupid- who cries over something this... this...  _idiotic?!_ Maybe they wouldn't like Tom any  more- no, surely they wouldn't. Tom knew he was being a problematic, thinking of the worst scenario, but he simply couldn't help it in his current state.

There was also the case that Tord did know. Maybe he would use some of the stuff Tom had said about Matt and Edd to them, and they would hate him? He had revealed some of their secrets, though he never said who was who (he never wanted to give any clue to Fang about who Void was). Yes, then Matt and Edd would not like him much.

If he didn't tell them, and perhaps Tord had not known, everything would be okay. Edd and Matt wouldn't know. Tord would still be an asshole to Tom, but how could Tom react to that? He didn't want to be rude to Fang, who was Tord. Was Tord even trustworthy? Was Fang? He knew he was thinking of them as separate people at this point, but they really were. Maybe if he was even ruder to Tord then it would be okay.

What if he didn't tell them, but Tord knew, and Tord blackmailed him?

Tom stopped thinking as a migraine pounded away at his head. He shut his eyes, breathing heavily. He knew his decision now, and he would be careful about what he did.

He would not tell anyone.

 

 

"Tom? You awake?" Matt's voice sounded from the door.

"Yep!" Tom sat up, running a hand through his tousled hair quickly in an attempt to make it seem the slightest bit presentable. The door creaked open and the ginger's head peeked through. For a second, his face scrunched up, but Matt smiled and opened the door a bit more.

"Breakfast is ready, come whenever you like," Matt nodded before disappearing around the hallway and, presumably, in the kitchen. Tom sighed, looking in the glass of his window. Using the translucent reflection he saw, he fixed his hair and wiped away any tear stains with a quick lick to his thumb and swipe on his cheeks. He smiled, rubbing his eyes, before slipping on some clothing and walking out of his haven.

He made his way down the hallway slowly, drinking in the sounds coming from the kitchen. He could hear Tord's voice, followed by laughter. As Tom entered the kitchen, it grew slightly quieter. "What's for breakfast?" Tom asked, looking at Tord who seemed to be cooking some bacon.

"We're having sausage and cheese biscuits with bacon and eggs," Matt answered. Tom nodded, yawning as the lack of sleep hit him. He had not had a wink of sleep, much to his misfortune, but he was determined not to let it show. If his anxiety, or panic, as they believed, attack was anything to go by, he was  _anything_ but okay  right now. He pushed the depressing thoughts aside as Tord began to tell a story about someone named Paul.

Tom tuned them out, tracing the designs on the black marbled table he sat at. They were a bit interesting, but not enough to drag your attention away from whatever else you were doing unless you willingly focused on them.

Tom's interest turned away from the table as a steaming plate of eggs, bacon, and a biscuit being placed in front of him. He looked up and saw Tord giving the plates out. He glanced down once more, noticing he had 2 fewer pieces of bacon than everyone else. Sighing, he speared one and blew the steam from it, popping it in his mouth. It was decent, a slight crunch though not burnt, and tasted very good. He wouldn't admit it out loud, but Tord was an excellent chef.

"Thanks!" Edd and Matt shouted in unison, instantly shoveling food into their mouths. Tord chuckled at the sight, but Tom's face remained emotionless. He took a few more bites before he decided he wasn't hungry. He didn't want to worry Edd and Matt, though, so he ate all of his eggs and half of his biscuit. There were three slices of bacon left on his plate, aside from the biscuit.

"Er, anyone want my bacon?" Tom asked. The response was immediate.

Tord and Edd practically threw themselves down on Tom's plate, yelling at each other as they fought over the third piece. Tom backed up, standing and watching the commotion. The bacon snapped, falling on to the floor, and left Tord and Edd with one slice each. "Tord, seriously? I really wanted that!"

"I made the food! I deserve it more!" Tord argued, chowing down on his slice of bacon. Edd glared at Tord, eyes narrowed, before sighing and returning to his plate. Tom's plate was untouched, though his chair had fallen down from his escape. Tom picked it up and grabbed his plate, about to discard the remaining food on it, when Edd spoke up.

"Tom, are you not hungry? You didn't eat much," he asked.

Tom simply shrugged. "Yea, guess I'm not, haha," he said, letting the biscuit half roll into the trash can. He placed his plate into the sink and walked off, leaving the trio to figure out what may have gone on for Tom to look tired _and_ not eat all of his breakfast. Before he left the kitchen, he called out, "I'm going to go buy some Smirnoff,  seeya." He then walked out of the kitchen and then out of the living room, into his car, and away.

 

 

Tom wasn't sure how drunk he'd gotten at this point. He stumbled out of his room, grimacing drunkenly and smelling of Smirnoff. "Hey!" He yelled, hanging on to the wall where the living room met the hallway.

"Fuck, how drunk are you this time?" Tord asked, a bored expression on his face. Matt and Edd looked slightly scared- sometimes, Tom got really abusive when he became drunk.

"Tha' doessn't matter, you... you _commie_ ," Tom accused, crossing his arms.

"It kind of does, _Jehovah's_ , since you're kind of in _my_ house,"  Tord spat. Matt and Edd knew the drill and were now sitting on the floor by the door, watching the commotion.

"Hey! Why did you move?" Tom asked, narrowing his eyes and pointing an accusing finger at both Matt and Edd. "I did _not_ eat any cheese, if tha's what you're worried about," Tom smiled proudly.

"Uhm.." Edd pushed his fingers together nervously.

"Tom! Sober up or go to your room! Nobody wants to hear your bullshit," Tord yelled, gaining his attention.

Fury flared through Tom. How _dare_ he!  They- Edd and Matt- were his _friends,_ of course they cared. "No!"

"What was that?" Tord asked, standing up and cracking his left hand's fingers.

"I said, no! I can do wha'ever I want, bec'use I am a responsible adult!" Tom repeated, glaring at Tord and stepping closer.

"This is my house! You either leave or I make you leave!" Tord shouted, getting angry. _Good,_ Tom thought.

"You can't make me leave, commie," Tom spat, before two hands landed on his shoulder. "Hey!" He pushed the person back, who he now registered was Tord, and had him fall down. Suprised by Tom's strength, Tord gawked for a moment, but was not about to let all three seem him act weak. He stood back up quickly.

"Why, you little.." Tord reared his iron fist back and landed a blow to Tom's shoulder, causing the eyeless male to cry out in pain.

Fury coursed through Tom in even greater amounts than before and, after he overcame his suffering, he uppercut Tord. Tord reacted strongly, punching Tom's face and twisting his arm behind his back. Tom yelled, tears pricking in his eyes as he struggled. Pain flowed through him, making his senses unreadable as Tord's fist met his crotch. That was it. He curled in on himself, now on the floor, shaking as he groaned in agony. Stabs of pain roared through him and he shook, only able to focus on the hot, white sting of discomfort that pounded through him.

He wasn't able to think much longer as he passed out, but either from lack of sleep, the pain, alcohol, or all three, he didn't know why.

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> how to write drunk people?? I dont understand? pl0x halp?????
> 
>  
> 
> did I do a good? ;v;
> 
> also, opinions? thoughts? something? anything? questions?? I don't know????


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> this chapter is in edd's pov for some and then it switches over at the triple space.  
> you'll see what i mean.
> 
> also flUFF and then u get angst haha 
> 
> im sorry  
> also this was written in school! like srsly! i frikin edited and wrote this at school and if that isnt productivity i dont know what is! this is 1926 words i believe so  
> thATS A LOT FOR ME

After Edd had fixed his hair a bit, he went into Tom's room for the fourth time that day. Tord had really done a number on him that afternoon- it was 1 AM currently- and Edd wanted to be sure he was okay. Sighing a bit, he shut the door quietly and flickered on the bedside lamp. Rather than finding Tom stiff and asleep, as he'd been laid when he passed out, he was curled into a ball, facing away from Edd. A sigh escaped his lips and the green-clad man sat down by the lump of blue that was Tom.

A few beats of silence passed- Edd guessed he'd have to speak up first. Tom was always the quiet one, anyways, so it was to be expected. "Are.. are you okay now?" Edd asked, quietly.

No sound came from the eyeless figure lain on the bed, and Edd was afraid he'd either fallen asleep or not responded until he heard a light sniffle. Edd turned slightly, concerned. In the dim light, he could faintly see that Tom was shivering, and not from the cold. "Tom?" Edd repeated, turning back so he was more comfortable and resting his head against the brown headboard.

A light hum came from Tom, confirming that he was awake. "You okay?" Edd, once again, asked, brows furrowed. Tom didn't reply, only turned around and looked at Edd. His face was dark from the lack of light, but it was clear that he was, as of now, not okay. Judging by the smokey black rings around his eyes, it was told how much sleep he’d gotten. His face was bruised and his lip was swollen, as well as his arm being in an awkward angle. The last feature, which concerned Edd the most, were the barely-visible tear tracks that trailed down his face, a fresh one running down his cheek as Edd gaped at him. Tom never cried. Edd had only seen him tear up, and even then he’d not cried. Something was wrong. Before Edd could ask if he needed comfort, he found Tom’s arms wrapped around him, face buried in the cloth of his hoodie where his stomach lie.

Edd.. wasn’t entirely sure what he should do now. Tom wasn’t one for physical comfort, either- in fact, if anyone tried to hug or touch him he’d flinch away or threaten them. He was pulled from his thoughts as he felt the trembling that seemed to grow as time went on. Leaning down, Edd hesitated before pulling Tom up into a proper hug. Tom latched onto him like a koala, shaking even more as he rested his head on Edd’s shoulders.

“I’m s-sorry,” Tom’s broken voice whispered to him, raspy from lack of use. “This is my fault,” He said, pulling his arms tighter around Edd’s body.

“No, it’s not. Tord shouldn’t have punched you. I know you guys hate each other, but physical violence wasn’t an answer. You were drunk, you made poor choices. Tord was sober. He knew his prosthetic could kill you, and he used that to his advantage. It’s. Not. Your. Fault,” Edd finished, smoothing out the back of Tom’s hoodie. Tom’s quivering ceased a bit, and he sniffled, not moving otherwise.

Edd wasn’t sure how much time had passed, but when he sneaked a glance over to the digital clock on the nightstand, he read 1:48 A.M. He knew he should go to sleep, but Tom also needed to, and there was no way he was going to be sleeping tonight without pills, or someone else. He knew it was wrong, and he knew he shouldn’t be doing this, and god, Edd knew this would seriously fuck him up, but this was Tom, and he wasn’t okay.

Sighing, Edd lightly pushed Tom off of him and moved the covers back. Tom saw what he was doing and scooted into bed, facing away from Edd. The brown-eyed man walked over to the door and quickly scribbled a note out, sliding it under the door before locking it. He made his way over, back to the bed, surprising Tom, and hesitated.

Should he do this? Tom wouldn’t be able to sleep, he knew, but maybe Edd could help him this way?

Casting a glance to the window, where rain streaked across the pane and pooled up outside, Edd lifted the blankets and slid in, looking away from the wall where Tom was. The bed was small, but Edd made sure to give Tom distance. He heard rustling from the covers and felt two hands weakly pull him backward, so he complied, pressing himself against the body behind him. He was slightly uncomfortable, but it was okay. Just for tonight, Edd thought, as sleep dragged him away from reality at last.

 

 

Tom was beyond confused when he woke up, and even more so when he realized he had awoken on his own accord. Yes, he was still tired, but there had been no alarm or person to drag him from his sleep. As his senses came to him, he realized that his arms were loosely around someone else. He panicked but didn’t move- for his memories came back to him and he remembered the events of last night. When he figured out the person in front of him was Edd, he stiffened, dragging his arms off of the body and scooting closer to the wall. What was he doing? Why had he hugged Edd in the first place? Despite these alarming thoughts, he knew he had slept much better than any previous night, and because of the longer time he had been unconscious or the person he slept with he did not know. He hoped it was the former.

Away from Edd’s body, he became colder, and reluctantly turned around and pressed his back to Edd to suck up his warmth. At this, Edd hummed lightly, stirring awake. After a few moments, Tom could feel Edd tense up slightly, but then relax and crawl out of bed. He heard the sounds of Edd yawning and stretching before the noises ceased. He waited, and after a moment or two, the shuffle of socks made their way across the carpet and to the door, where it was unlocked, opened, and closed.

Now that he was alone, Tom sat up and stretched, checking the time. It was 3 P.M., he realized, and made his way out of the mess of blankets. Rubbing his eyes, Tom looked around for his pills, before remembering they were gone. He sighed and blinked before walking out of the room with a new change of clothes. He really needed a shower.

And a shower he got.

As soon as he felt the scathing water slide down his back, Tom’s muscles practically melted. He really needed this. He scrubbed himself down, washed his hair and his face, and stepped out, drying himself thoroughly. When he felt he was dry enough, he pulled on his clothes, which were the same as his last pair. He brushed his teeth, noticing the blood that came with it (he hadn’t brushed his teeth since he’d gotten here. Ew), put some deodorant on, and looked at himself in the mirror. The bags under his eyes were still evident, but they were not as dark as before. His lip was still swollen slightly and his shoulder had a dull ache (as well as his crotch), but he felt better than he had in a while. He made a note that he should see a doctor soon. His eyesight was terrible.

He let himself out of the bathroom and returned to his room to drop his clothing off before heading into the living room, where Matt was eating some cookies and Edd was obsessing over... something. When Tom saw it, he grimaced- it was the Purroomba. Ringo was sat on top of it, spinning around slowly and meowing happily. Tord was nowhere to be found.

Plopping down on the couch, he realized he hadn’t texted Tord- or, well, Fang- in a while. He didn’t want to be suspicious, and hell, he could get some information on stuff that Tord would never admit. He opened Google Hangouts and found that he had a fairly recent message from Fang about an hour ago.

He also decided he may as well stop calling Fang, well, Fang.

He quickly changed the name of the contact and texted back.

 

Tord: hey

Tord: you up?

Tord: hello??

Void: hi  
Void: sorry i was gone for so long  
Void: a ton of shit happened

Tord: that is fine   
Tord: i was getting concerned...  
Tord: so! i showed my friend the purroomba!

 

What would Void say, Tom thought. This was going to be difficult.

 

Void: you kept that name?

Tord: yup  
Tord: it's catchy!

Void: oh wow. what was his reaction?

Tord: so the person i gave it to is actually downstairs playing around with it.   
Tord: but  
Tord: i showed it to them, one of them had this like  
Tord: vietnam flashback

Void: oh wow

 

Tom shuddered. So Tord didn't know, did he? He clenched his fists nervously. Why would Tord just diss his anxiety attack like that? Like it was nothing? Maybe he just wanted Void to trust him. He's probably lost other internet friends.

 

Tord: it was... weird. i mean  
Tord: it's just a roomba  
Tord: he didn't even see it either  
Tord: i was kinda worried  
Tord: i hate the guy, but...  
Tord: he's never been that.. shocked?   
Tord: i don't know how to describe it

Void: i understand  
Void: maybe he's heard that name before.   
Void: maybe he just had a panic attack?

Tord: yeah  
Tord: he said he had a panic attack  
Tord: he's... okay, now  
Tord: got drunk though  
Tord: he's fine

Void: oh ok

Tord: how'd your week go?

 

Tom debated this. Should he tell who he was? Should he.. wait? He decided not to tell.

 

Void: family stuff.  
Void: had some movie nights  
Void: my life is boring  
Void: but i need to eat  
Void: i am super fukcing hungry

Tord: how fukcing hungry are you?

Void: pretty fukcing hungry

Tord: fucking or fukcing?

Void: fukcing

Tord: pft. ok. cya in a bit

Void: k

 

Tom sighed, shutting his phone off momentarily and sitting up to grab a snack. He made his way into the kitchen and checked the fridge, finding there was enough food for a sandwich. He made one quickly, grabbing a can of Dr. Pepper, before walking back into the living room. Edd was on the couch, petting Ringo when their gazes met. Edd blushed, looking down and fiddling with his hands a bit. Why was he so nervous? Shrugging it off, Tom made his way to the couch and squeezed in between Edd and the corner of it, taking a bite out of his bologna sandwich. It was pretty good. On the T.V. was a report about vampires taking over part of the town square, prompting him to sigh. Who cares? They're just vampires. Tom took another bite of his sandwich when another wave of nausea washed over him. He wobbled before his vision went black, but he was still awake. He strained to see, to see anything at all, but alas there was nothing. "Edd? Where are you?" Tom called out, gripping the couch carefully.

"What do you mean? I'm right here," Edd's confused voice alerted the eyeless man where he was.

"I-" Tom looked around wildly, "I can't see!"

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ayy so kudos to those who figured out why tom cant see, and if u still dont know it will be revealed next chapter!
> 
>  
> 
> you can ask abt stuff on my tumblr or in the comments (ill love u forever if its on my tumblr *wink*)


	8. Chapter 8

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> there's multiple povs in this chapter.  
> first one is edd  
> then its tord  
> and then tom  
> so ye  
> i also would like for everyone to know that, yay, slow updates! my computer got a virus or something stupid, maybe it just kinda gave up, but it no longer works. so i wrote this at school. again. ugh.  
> EDIT: FIXED MY COMPUTER WE'RE GOOD  
> sorry this is kinda rushed btw  
> thanks for being awesome! 400 hits, wow?? yes??? thank u??

Edd had just been slurping at a cold can of cola when Tom suddenly sat up. He raised an eyebrow, seeing the blue-clad man panic. "Edd? Where are you?” He said, timidly.

His hands gripped the couch cushions carefully as Edd scooted closer to him. “What do you mean? I’m right here,” Edd replied, watching as Tom’s panicked face landed on him. His eyes seemed.. distant. Edd knew this was impossible, but something seemed off about them.

“I-” Tom looked around, heart rate picking up, “I can’t see!” He shouted, grabbing Edd’s pants to find where he was. His arm trailed up to Edd’s shoulder and he clutched it firmly.

“What?” Edd asked, alarmed. Tom couldn’t... What could have caused this? He thought back to any dangerous adventures they’d had then remembered them meeting their future selves. “Oh.. Tom, remember that one time we met our future selves and future me tried to kill me?” Edd asked, quietly, as this situation hit him.

“Y-yeah.. oh...” Tom hung his head, shaking as his eyes strained to see. Edd sighed, thinking over that day.

“Okay.. so who made that mask...” As Edd’s memories flooded back to him, he picked through them until he thought he found something worthwhile. He went over the images in his head a few times.

“Oh, they mentioned red leader... so Tord makes it. I’ll go tell him!” Edd quickly said, nervous. Maybe Tord wouldn’t make the mask.. what if he wasn’t fast enough? With that thought, Edd stood up but had trouble doing so. Tom was latched onto him. “Tom, let go! I have to get Tord!” Edd shouted, voice wavering in his worry. The grip on his shoulder melted away just as Matt walked in from outside.

“Hey g-” Edd didn’t hear the rest of his sentence as he sprinted upstairs, stumbling. God, his heartbeat was going so fast he was afraid he’d faint- but he could not let Tom go blind!

 

“Tord!? Tord, help!” A shout sounded. Tord, who was waiting for Void to come back, opened the door to his room. In front of him stood a hopeful and concerned Edd.

“Yeah?” Tord asked.

“Tom’s blind! A while ago we met our future selves and Tom had this really weird eye mask and I guess he needed it because he said he had eye cancer but they-” Edd gasped, sucking breath into his lungs. “said that, that red leader made them, made the eye mask, but you’re red leader, sopleasefixhiseyesightorhe’llneverseeagainandIdon’twantthattohappen!!” Edd cried, on his knees.

Tord looked extremely confused but sighed. “Tom’s blind and you want me to make a substitute because you saw your future Tom had one?” Tord asked, eyes slightly narrowed. Edd nodded vigorously, standing up. “Okay. Can I see Tom?” Tord’s voice was serious, and even slightly menacing. Edd tugged at his hoodie strings and ran off, forgetting to say ‘yes’ in reply in his haste. Tord rolled his eyes and put his phone in his pocket, following calmly.

He was met with Edd ushering Tom to stand up, but the eyeless male simply fell back onto the couch. Matt was asking random questions about how it was like, which were met with aggravated answers from Tom. It would be funny if not for the situation at hand. “Move,” Tord commanded, and all movement ceased. Edd and Matt stood back, and Tom stared blankly at a corner of the room before rolling his head over to look at where Tord’s voice sounded. Tord grabbed some tape measure and got the circumference and diameter of Tom’s head, writing it down. He also measured the perimeter of Tom’s eyes carefully, focusing. “Okay Tom, is it painful? I can get you some pills,” Tord asked, scribbling some notes down.

“No,” Tom replied, voice defeated. Tord walked back upstairs, texting Void that he couldn’t talk for a while because something serious just happened and he needed to work on another project. He was slightly surprised when the message delivered as unread, but shrugged it off and began to work on the new installation.

  
  


Tom didn’t know what to do.

First, his pills had been gone.

Then, he’d learned the truth about Fang.

He’d gotten drunk.

He’d had Edd sleep with him for a night.

And now, his eyesight was gone.

He honestly didn’t care about anything as Tord measured him. His mind was empty- he refused to think of the weight of the situation. He answered Matt’s occasional questions and Tord’s asks until the red-hoodied man left, presumably to go make his eyewear. When he left, it was deathly silent, until Edd (or who he thought was Edd) cleared his throat. He was mildly surprised to hear Matt’s voice.

“So, assuming he’ll take a while, I suppose we should get you a service dog and a white cane?” Matt suggested. Tom nodded, sighing, and standing up. He wobbled slightly, feeling around for someone. Someone was at his side and helped to guide him.

“We’re going to get Tom some stuff!” Edd called out, who by now Tom had figured out was not the person helping him. A faint ‘okay’ sounded from upstairs before Matt guided Tom out of the building and into a car. Someone helped him buckle in and sat next to him, who he guessed was Edd. Tom kept a hand on his lap to assure him where Edd was, chest feeling heavy.

So this was it, huh? Tom was finally getting eye cancer. Well, he already had it, really. He’d have to wear some stupid mask for the rest of his life to be able to see, and even then he didn’t know how long it would take to make. Guessing by Tord’s speed, probably a week, and then what? Would he have to stay at Tord’s house? What about him being Void?

Then he remembered.

He had been in the middle of a conversation with Tord when he lost his eyesight, through texting. Wouldn’t he think it was a little suspicious that Tom had stopped being able to see just as Void had stopped replying? Assuming this did take a week or longer, what could Tom’s excuse be for never talking or replying? ‘ _Oh, I just went blind for a week, sorry._ ’ That’s a giveaway. He would have to make up some stupid shit or he could get someone to text for him. Either way, he was doomed.

He sighed for the millionth time that day, resting his head against the back of the car seat and loosening his ever-growing tight grip on Edd’s lap. He closed his eyes and waited as the rumbling of the car seemed to lull him into sleep’s arms.

  
  
  
  


Tom wasn’t sure how much time he’d been out, looking for the items he needed, but he was relieved when he got home. He was currently on the couch with his temporary service dog, who was named Dog, sitting diligently next to him. Matt had tried to pet the canine multiple times but Tom had threatened that he wasn’t supposed to be pet often. The ginger had pouted and walked off, presumably to go and check out his Novelty Toy Collection.

Edd was sat next to him, doing nothing in particular. The Television was on some kind of commercial when Tom realized he had to deal with the issue about, well, him and Tord (or more specifically Void and Fang). He stood up, Dog following along, and turned to where he thought Edd was sitting. “Er, Edd? Can you.. come here?” Tom asked, hanging onto the harness that Dog wore.

“Um, sure,” Edd stood up as Tom directed Dog where to go. He was led to his room where he sat on the edge of his bed, allowing Dog to rest a bit. He had no intention of moving from this spot. He patted the space next to him and removed his hand, waiting for Edd to sit down. As the bed sunk under the newcomer’s weight, Tom took a deep breath.

“So... I guess I have to tell you something. But you can’t tell Matt, and especially not Tord, okay?” Tom asked, turning to where he was sure Edd sat.

Edd was silent for a moment, and Tom guessed he had nodded when he spoke up. “Uh, y-yeah, sure.” A fumble of fabric sounded as Tom shoved his hands in his pockets.

“So, for a while now, I’ve been messaging someone. Online,” Tom began but stopped for a moment. Edd’s breath hitched, and for that was a reason Tom did not know. “He told me to call him Fang. I said, okay, as long as you call me Void,” Edd seemed to relax. “He told me some stuff about him. I did too. And he told me he was an inventor. He sent me some of his projects until he brought up one he was making for his friend.” Edd was silent, waiting for a continuation. “He didn’t have a name for it. The project was a Roomba that was for cats to sit on. I told him to call it the Purroomba,” Tom stopped, letting it sink in.

“Tom, I-” Edd tried to speak, but Tom cut him off.

“Yeah, I found out he was Tord. I hate Tord, but Fang was my friend. So I really don’t know if I can trust him. Tord doesn’t know I’m Void, though, so he expects me to text him.. so.. can you, you know, text him for me? Please?” Tom asks.

Edd doesn’t reply for a while, thinking over this. Finally, he sighs. “Yeah, sure.” Tom smiles, handing him his phone. “Password?”

“Susan,” Tom replied, hearing the ‘ _ click _ ’ of Edd tapping his phone screen.

“Okay, his most recent text says, ‘ _ i can’t talk much today, sorry. message me when ur on tho _ .’”

“Umm, okay, can you send an ' _ i'm online _ ’? Without grammar,” Tom adds.

“Sure.” Typing noises resound through the room before they stop, a final tap sounding. “So... I don’t think he’ll be on for a while, so... Anything else?” Edd asks.

“Well... I had... I had anti-depressants, and I left them at home... That’s why I’ve been so emotional,” Tom sighs.

“We knew,” Edd says.

“Wh-what?” Tom says, alarmed.

“We knew you needed those, Matt found one of the pills in your apartment and asked me about it. I didn’t say anything because you hadn’t told us, so I guessed it was private,” Edd shrugged, even though Tom couldn’t see.

“Oh...” Tom trails off. “Well, can you grab me a butterscotch? Please? They’re in a box in the corner over... there,” Tom waved vaguely toward where the box should be. The weight on the bed shifts and shuffles are heard until the crinkle of wrappers sounds from the other side of the room. Edd walks back over and plops down onto the bed, handing Tom a handful of unwrapped candies. He popped one in his mouth, savoring the flavor.

“Can I have one?” Tom nodded, handing one of the many candies he held in his hands to Edd who proceeded to eat the treat.

Tom wasn’t sure how much time passed, but he eventually heard a whine from Dog. He assumed the canine was hungry, so he handed the remaining two butterscotch candies to Edd and stood up. Reaching down for the harness, he gripped it and walked toward the door, Dog guiding him. He opened it and was led to the kitchen where someone was cooking burgers. “Do you know where Dog’s food is?” Tom asked.

“Er, yes,” came Tord’s voice. After a moment, the pouring of dog food led him over to the bowl and Tom waited as Dog chowed down.

“So,” Tom said, shifting his feet.

“You can’t get drunk now,” Tord realized aloud.

“...Fuck,” Tom muttered. Tord chuckled and Tom glared in the general direction the noise had come from.

“I am surprised you have not cursed me out yet,” Tord remarked, still cooking the food he was making.

“...” Tom would have cursed the commie out, but he didn’t have the heart to. No, he didn’t like the Norski, he still hated him, but since he’d learned more from anonymously texting him he felt a tad bit different toward him. “Tired,” Tom replied shortly, waiting for Dog.

By now, the hound had started drinking water quickly. The shepherd understood he was important and didn’t waste any time eating food to bark quietly, alerting Tom he was done. Tom was led into the kitchen and signaled that he wanted to go to his room, so he was taken there. Edd was still on the bed when Tom arrived. They continued to talk about nonsense until the sun had set and Tom was feeling tired.

“Er, when you wake up, Edd, can you get me? I don’t think I’ll be able to tell the difference in night and day...” Tom quietly asked, making sure Dog was settled.

“Sure,” Edd confirmed, standing up. “Well, good night. I’ve sent a text to Tord saying you’ll be asleep already.”

“Thanks. Good night, Edd,” Tom said, still unused to not having sight. The door clicked shut and Tom smiled, sliding into bed and closing his eyes until he dozed off into the comfort of a dreamless sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> wow im getting a lot of requests on tumblr >w< thats good. i like requests.
> 
> so! again, slow updates because i won't have my personal computer. i cri evrytiem. gonna be busy today as well, trying to fix my computer, etc, etc...  
> ty for being cool, again. never expected 400 hits i guess.
> 
> expect a one-shot of tordedd sometime this week. expect it today if i get my computer fixed. yay.  
> also thoughts?? im telling u Dog is a good pupper and he will be staying with tom for a while wink
> 
> also i named him dog because in saloonatics sheriff thompson's gun is named gun lmao ok bye


	9. Chapter 9

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> notes at the end m8  
> sorry 4 hiatus  
> k enjoy  
> (or not)

Tom wasn’t sure what time it was when he awoke. What he was sure of, though, was that it was morning and Tord was still working on his new eye mask. He could hear the afar screeching of metal against metal before it paused. Afterward, it would continue, then stop for some time before happening again. He cringed, rolling on his bad and sighing as he splayed his arms out. _It's so hot_ , Tom thought as he shoved his hoodie off. He should really shower, he thought, scenting the stench of his sweat.

Deciding not to wait, he got up and whistled for Dog. He barked, nuzzling his outstretched hand and pawing Tom his harness handle. He latched onto it and swung his feet over the side of the bed, careful to avoid the canine’s body on the way. He stood up and stretched- to the limit he could, anyway- before walking over to his door with Dog in the lead. He opened it and tugged Dog to some doors, listening. He heard nothing in the first two, but on the third, he could distinctly hear Edd’s light snores. Grabbing the knob, he turned it, opening the wood for he and his service dog. Once they entered, he closed it.

He walked a short distance before Dog let out a quiet ‘woof,’ signaling they were at a wall or obstacle. At this time, Tom decided to call out, “Edd?”

Met with silence, he tried again, leaning down to what he knew was the bed. “Edd? Wake up,” Tom ordered, groping the sheets carefully. He found Edd’s arm and made his way to the brown-eyed man’s shoulder, shaking it lightly. He was alerted of the other male’s awake when a light groan was heard.

“Wha..?” Edd asked, then went quiet. “Tom? What are... Holy shit, what are- what are you doing in here?” Edd asked, alarmed, as the sound of shuffling sheets rung through the room.

“Uh, I need you to help me find some clothes for a shower?” Tom asked, suspicious.

“I don’t have like, any clothes on! Besides my boxers! Get out!”

Tom sighed. “I’m blind, Edd. I had no idea. I can’t even see you.” Followed by silence, he stood there, staring at where Edd should be.

“O-oh...” Edd mumbled.

“Well? Get some clothes on,” Tom said, sitting down on the edge of the bed. Edd scrambled up, hesitated, and made his way to the dresser that Tom guessed was adjacent to his bed.

After a minute or two of Edd throwing clothing on, Tom heard a quiet, “Okay, I’m clothed. Let’s go,” before Edd’s footsteps lead him to the door. Dog pulled him along until he reached the familiar comfort of his room.

“So... What do you want to wear?” Edd asked, pulling open drawers.

“Something comfortable,” Tom replied, standing by the dresser.

“Blue?”

“Whatever suits your fancy,” Tom said, popping a butterscotch in his mouth.

“...Okay, here,” Edd said, “I have some. Let’s go,” Edd said, not waiting for Tom to follow. The eyeless man sighed, following without Dog. She protested, but he pushed her snout down. He had to map out the house’s layout eventually, didn’t he?

On the way, he felt the walls until he simply grabbed Edd’s hoodie. The green-clad made a sound of confusion but didn’t make a move to stop Tom. When they reached the bathroom, Edd showed Tom where his clothing was and started the water. “How warm do you want it?” Edd asked, voice bouncing off the wall and toward Tom.

“Cold,” Tom deadpanned.

“How cold?”

“Really, really cold.”

“Um, okay..?” Edd questioned, a bit confused, before turning it to his desired setting. Tom felt the water and smiled when he felt the nice coolness of it. He still felt hot, but he wouldn’t admit it aloud. He knew what was happening and he needed to deal with it. “So, Tom... Are you going to be okay, you know...” Edd trailed off.

“Yeah, you can leave,” Tom said, allowing relief to the boy. Edd scurried out of the door, locking it on his way out.

As soon as he was gone, Tom peeled his clothing off and threw it across the room to who-knows-where. Relief flooded his body as the cold air licked at his skin, but he was still _hot._

He jumped in the shower, sighing as the icy liquid coated his skin. He hated cold showers, yes, but if he were able to prevent the prevalent tragedy that was to come then he would try. He shivered slightly, feeling the walls for shampoo and grabbing a bottle. He popped the lid open and smelled it before confirming it was the 3&1 bottle Matt always used. Had he brought it here? Tom sighed, squirting a good bit of the soap into this hand before running it through his soaked hair. He placed the bottle on the rim of the bathtub and scruffed up his hair with the soap, causing it to bubble up. Quickly rinsing his hair, he made sure it was free of the slickness it had previously before grabbing a washrag and putting more soap on it. He scrubbed himself down, letting the cold water pelt onto his skin and wash away his dirt and grime. Hopefully, this was a long enough shower- he was no longer hot and was _dying_ to get out of the shower and into his cozy blankets.

Hopping out, he drained the tub of excess water and shut the shower off before grabbing a towel and drying himself off. He fixed his hair as well as he could while blind until he thought it felt right.

When he was done with his hair, he felt for his clothes. He wasn’t sure what was what, but after a few moments of unfolding and shaking the clothing articles around he figured out what his boxers, pants, socks, and hoodie were. He couldn’t find a shirt. He shrugged it off and put on the clothes he’d found before opening the door and walking out, sighing as he realized he was still shivering. He was kind of glad he didn’t have a shirt on, only a hoodie, now that he thought about it.

He found his way to the living room easily, seeing as it was only a left turn. On the way in, he ran into a wall and yelped, but found his footing as Dog headbutted him. He glared at her before hearing a whine, followed by a bark. She was hungry. He sighed, letting her lead him to the kitchen before he realized he couldn’t feed the mutt. He knew Matt was on the couch, doing whatever, so he strode over to it (much to the disappointment of Dog) and patted the side of the cushions.

“Hmm?” Matt hummed.

“Can you feed Dog?” Tom asked, leaning against the wall.

“Sure, give me a moment,” Matt replied, typing something to someone. After a few seconds, Matt got up and fed Dog before sitting back down.

“Who’re you texting?” Tom asked, sitting down in Edd’s usual spot.

“My date,” Matt beamed.

“Is she hot?” Tom queried.

“Yes, but nothing could be as handsome as _my_ beautiful face,” the ginger reported.

“Umm, sure..” Tom trailed off. After a bit Dog nudged him, catching him off guard. “Wh-woah,” Tom exclaimed, standing up. Before he could walk far, Edd ran into the room.

“Tom! Let’s go get ice cream!” the brunette exclaimed, dashing out the front door. Tom guessed he didn’t really have a say and followed him, bored. He couldn’t see, but he knew it must be mid-day by now because of the heat. It was warm, and Tom knew that was bad. Slumping his shoulders, he jumped into the back seat of Edd’s care with Dog and let themselves be driven away.

  
  


 

When Tom stepped out of the car, Dog in front of him, he felt... alone. Around him were noises of the city he’d have failed to notice when he held sight. Confusing chirps and bellows clouded his senses, and he had to force himself not to focus on them. Instead, he let his ears listen solely to the footsteps approaching him. Edd.

“C’mon, the stand is over here,” Edd said, grabbing Tom’s hand. He was confused by this new development but made no move to stop Edd as Dog trotted along beside them. Various crunches sounded from below their feet, but he ignored them, scenting the breeze instead. Perhaps losing your sight really did improve your other senses. He’d have doubted it before, but now, standing in the center of this confusing world, it seemed probable. “Here we are,” Edd beamed, stopping abruptly. Tom staggered, but found his footing and grabbed onto his service dog’s harness handle. “So.. What flavor do ya want?” Edd asked, pulling out what seemed to be his wallet.

“Um... Any, I guess,” Tom shrugged. “Chocolate? Mint? I don’t care.”

“M’kay,” Edd replied. “We’ll have one strawberry and one mint chocolate,” he said to, presumably, the stand’s runner.

“Okay! That’ll be $3, sir,” a feminine voice responded with false cheer.

Tom supposed they had exchanged items because he was soon handed a cold treat. “Thanks,” he said.

“No problem,” Edd said, walking away. Dog followed after, tugging Tom along to match the green-clad man’s swift pace. He was whisked along, soft ‘woofs’ alerting him of roots and stray rocks littered on the ground.

Finally, he was nudged into a seat by Edd, the sun beating down on him at last. He was hot, but he couldn’t remove his hoodie for obvious reasons. Feeling the tickle of ice cream on his fingers, he licked the quickly-melting treat and began eating it swiftly.

When he finished, he waited for Edd’s queue to leave. In his disappointment, he didn’t- they sat there quietly, listening to the various noises. When Edd finally spoke, he wasn’t sure of what he said.

“Can you say that again?” Tom queried.

“I was asking why your eyes are black. Last time you were eating popcorn and you kinda mumbled. I couldn’t hear.”

“Oh,” Tom replied, thinking for a moment. _Why_ were his eyes black? He was told, by his parents, it was because of something during his childhood, but if he were thinking straight he knew the real reason. “Um... Well, actually, it’s because of my parents,” Tom chuckled.

“Wh- they abused you?!”

“No! No, my parents were good things!” Tom argued.

“..Things?”

“Erm... yeah... They are not people. My mom is a bowling ball and my dad is a pineapple,” Tom confessed. Edd, at this point, was lost.

“Well, shit. I believe you, this isn’t the weirdest thing I’ve experienced,” Edd laughed lightly. “What does this have to do with your eyes?”

Tom puffed his cheek out. “Since my mom is a bowling ball I have no eyes. Since my dad is a pineapple... well...” Tom gestured vaguely to his hair.

“Ohh, that makes a lot of sense actually,” Edd nodded, licking up the last of his ice cream. Tom did the same, sucking his sticky fingers for the last of the minty flavor.

“Hold on,” Edd spoke. The sound of fabric shuffling alerted Tom of something, but he wasn’t sure what he expected when Edd’s hands ran through his hair. He scrunched his brows up. “There we go. Your hair was messy,” Edd giggled.

“Uh... Okay..?” Tom said, fiddling with the harness he was not holding.

They sat there for a bit longer until Tom was sweating excessively. He needed to get out of here- back home- somewhere _cold_. He panted lightly, looking around despite his loss of vision as a light pain blossomed in his chest. _Shit_ , he thought.

“Edd, can we go home? Like, now, fast, please?”

“Sure,” Edd chirped, standing up. He jogged alongside Dog and Edd until he was in the car.

“Can you turn the air- the air conditioner on?” Tom asked, shaking slightly due to the growing pain. He knew what was happening. He _couldn’t_ let it happen. He just  _couldn’t_. He started panicking, further triggering the pain.

“Okay,” Edd replied, turning the cold on.

This was going to be a long trip.

  
  


 

Somewhere along in the car ride, Tom had passed out. This eased the pain considerably, but when he awoke he had a massive headache. He ran his hands through his hair as soon as he was awake, feeling two bumps on his head.

If you could describe panic, this moment would have been the perfect description for it.

He jumped up, entirely forgetting he was still in the car and slamming the door open. He had forgotten about Dog (who was barking behind him) as scrambling into the door of Tord’s house, ignoring the feeling of agony in him. He threw the door open, tripping into the house and racing into his room after he had thrown himself into a few walls. He locked the door, moving boxes to block the entrance as footsteps pounded toward him.

“Tom!” Someone shouted, but their voice was unheard as the panic really set in. _No, no no no! I can’t change, not here, not now..!_ Tom thought, shaking heavily as sweat streamed down his face. The anxiety he felt pushed his transformation further, causing hot, white aching all over him. He watched as his nails elongated, fingers turning a dark purple and scales covering his body. The pain in his ribs intensified as he grew new ribs, horns sprouting from his head. He screamed as his transformation occurred, blinded by pain.

He sprouted a tail, letting it whip behind him as his clothing was torn off and the heat he’d felt decayed rapidly to an icy chill. His screams now sounded alike roars, his eyes merging together to form one large one. His horns soared into the ceiling, though he was careful not to graze it and cause damage.

The last thing he remembered before the beast inside him took control was the thought of protecting someone despite his lack of say in this new version of himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> whoops sorry abt that little hiatus hhh  
> i've been not feeling too well lately;;  
> but hey corgi is helping me and shes awesome you should check out her [tumblr page](sewlovelyyy.tumblr.com) and thank her ;D she has an ao3 page but im too lazy to link wh o ops
> 
> anyways!
> 
> there's this person who was called "Weasy" tho i think they have an account now. they're p cool because they made an account because of this fic?? im so honoured?? thank u??
> 
> also i planned the storyline out (i have a very rough idea written down in my google docs hhh) and there may not be a like, real relationship. maybe qpps but thats?? it?? i dont like the idea of actual relationships in eddsworld bc the creators kinda dont like it and that made me realize its kind of wEIRD but  
> there will be lots of fluff! and maybe qpps! qpps are rlly cute anyway so im tot doing that ;) (no its not because i want to call edd a zucchini i swear...)
> 
> oh yeah and this book doesnt have that many chapters left maybe like 10 or 8 idk  
> it depends  
> if im doing qpps maybe its like 10 or smth but i could end this book next chapter if i really wanted wink wink (no i couldnt)


	10. Chapter 10

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> hey hey hey
> 
> sorry i didn't post for a while,, i couldn't proofread this well for a bit hh
> 
> hope ya enjoy  
> or nah?   
> idk

Tord wiped the stream of sweat that was beading on his forehead away before he put his welding mask on. Carefully, he soldered the circuit board to the side of the eye mask. When he was done, he wiped his clammy hands on his pants and grabbed the screen he needed to place on the mask. Gingerly, he put it in place and soldered that in before grasping the metal frame. He carefully screwed it in, sighing. He really should take a break.

He decided he would, and grabbed a carton of apple juice. He downed the thing before grabbing a slice of cold bacon from who knows when. He took a few swift bites, standing in front of the fan for a brief moment.

There. Break over.

Tord tried to take very short breaks- 30 seconds to 3 minutes was far enough time for him to be slacking. He sighed, before hot gluing the velcro he’d cut out in the measurements of Tom’s head to the base of the mask. The only thing he needed to do now was to make sure it worked.

He cooled the mask off a bit- it was still hot where he’d added sotter- before sliding off his welding mask. Carefully, he opened the velcro and held the mask over his eyes- the circumference of it was too loose for him anyway. 

Pressing the ‘power’ button on the side he’d installed, he watched as the darkness he saw brightened. Every angle was sharp and his eyesight was precise- it actually  _ hurt _ him slightly because of how well he could now see. Shivering, he walked over to the mirror and made sure the lights he’d equipped pointed to where he looked. 

Perfect.

He was done.

He slid the product off, pressing a button on the wall and closing off his lab, before engraving his logo onto the machinery in a discreet place. Now, he just had to give it to Tom.

Grumbling lightly, he strolled down the stairs and into the living room just as the front door was flung open. Tom raced in,  _ without _ his service dog, and sprinted toward the opposite wall. He slammed into it, but made a sharp left and was hidden from sight.  _ What was that about..? _ Tord thought, before shrugging. He didn’t really care about that Jehovah’s Witness anyways- he’d only made this eye mask for his plan to gain Edd’s trust again.

He watched as Edd ran after Tom, a panicked look on his face.

“Tom!” Edd shouted, racing toward the brit’s room. A scream rang out, turning into a feral roar within mere moments. Tord would not have worried about this, no, if he had not heard this exact noise before.

He clenched the mask in his hand, knuckles turning white in the process. How could he not have known this? He was an  _ idiot, _ was he not? It was so... so  _ obvious _ .

A grin spread across his face and he slowly paced to the brown door where Edd was furiously jiggling the handle. As he neared, the yowls of pain became louder from in the room. 

“Move,” Tord grunted to Edd, pulling out a gun.

“Wh- don’t hurt him, please!” Edd begged, stepping away from the door reluctantly with sweat pouring down his skin.

Tord pick locked the door, grasping the slick handle that was covered in Edd’s sweat. He opened the door a notch, seeing nothing but purple in the room. Faint barking and howling sounded behind him, but he paid it no mind. The howls ceased to heavy grunts and breathing as if someone were trying to keep themselves together. 

Then, abruptly, the door was opened.

Tord was slammed into the wall from the brute force attacking him. He hissed as pain flashed in the joint that connected his shoulder to his prosthetic, but willed it away as he snatched the gun up. He reared the, rather heavy, gun (which he’d cleverly named the ‘AK-Tordy7’) up and shot aimlessly. Apparently, he hit his target, because a few short yelps sounded. Pulling the trigger after a brief pause, he opened his eyes now and pointing to the creature- no, no, this was  _ Tom-  _ before firing the assault rifle several more times. Rubble from the wall crumbled down, dusting the air as Tom collapsed. His arm was stretched out of his room, the only body part of him that wasn’t in the enclosed space.

“Wh-what was.. that?” Edd panted, wiping the grime off of him.

“Tom’s... Monster form,” Tord sighed. “I’ve been looking for this..” He stood up, grabbing a few pills from his hoodie pocket and downing them to cease the pain that was blossoming above his prosthetic. The pain in his shoulder didn’t stop- he had only just taken the pill- but he could feel it slowly numbing. He sighed, walking over to the door next to Tom’s. Early on, he had told them it was a bathroom, but it was not. He pick locked it but didn’t open it as barks and hushed meows sounded from the living room.

Looking back, Edd seemed to have it covered and was already darting into the room, arms waving around wildly to clear the dust that was settling in the air.

He turned back to the door and grabbed pills, wiping more of the sweat that ran down his face away. He crawled into the room and sat on the bed of Tom (who was now his ‘human form’). Despite the lack of movement, the blue-clad man was letting out heavy huffs of breath as he slept. At one point, a quiet wail came from the male’s throat.

Edd came in after about 15 minutes, watching the scene. Shreds of clothing and debris from where Tom had torn at the wall covered his body- which, at this point, was naked. Edd curled into a ball next to Tom and rocked back and forth, gnawing at his fingernails quietly. Tord was smoking a cigar, flicking the ashes on the floor. 

Tord flopped a blanket on his body, seeing as he was clothless from where they’d ripped. Dog padded in, whining and stepping over the debris. He sniffed Tom and nudged him, letting out distressed woofs. Tom groaned, lightly patting the canine away before his eyes shot open. 

  
  
  


He started hyperventilating, head darting left and right as his ears strained to hear. “H-hello?” He breathed.

A beat of silence passed before a voice spoke. “Tom,” Edd whispered, crawling over the mentioned friend. Tom pulled his blanket around himself before reaching out, grasping cloth in his hand and letting the arms of Edd wrap around him. He shook, confused, but returned the hug.  _ Fuck… fuck, fuck fuck! Fuck!! I’m done for... _ Tom thought, shivering in the hug. He buried his head in the crook of Edd’s neck, unaware of the communist behind them. 

“I’m sorry,” Tom whispered, just loud enough for Edd but not Tord to hear.

“It’s okay,” Edd replied, just as quiet. He gripped the fabric of Tom’s hoodie, sighing tiredly. Tom pulled back, hugging the blanket around himself even tighter.

“Are you done?” Tord asked, making Tom jump in surprise.

“When did he get here?” Tom muttered.

“I think the more important question would be why you decided to tear half of the wall down,” Tord huffed.

“I didn’t have control!” Tom protested.

“‘I didn’t have control,’ that’s bullshit and you and I both know it,” Tord snarled.

“I really don’t. As soon as I turn into that form, I’m… possessed..” 

“Pfft, if that’s not the lamest excuse for this I don’t know what is!” Tord chuckled.

It grew quiet, silence surrounding them for a few beats aside from the whimpers of Dog. “He’s not lying,” Edd said, scooting up to Tom. “He actually does get possessed.”

Tord didn’t reply, only glaring at the two on the floor. “Okay, well, Edd, put this on Tom. Then get your shit together and leave. All of you,” Tord added.

Tom narrowed his eyes, but let Edd put whatever device Tord had given him on his head. When he did, he noticed it felt slightly heavy and fit perfectly around his eyes. “Flip that switch, right there,” Tord added. Tom felt Edd’s hands feel the outer edges of this new mask before a bright light blinded Tom. 

“Ah!... Oh..” Tom looked around, squinting. He could see... Huh. This was the second time he could see, actually, because as soon as he started transforming his sight would come back for whatever reason. His vision was extremely sharp- even sharper than when in his monster form- and he took a moment to focus. He noticed his service dog was a black and dark brown German Shepherd with a black vest. He pat the dog’s head, making them woof happily that he was safe. It was sad he’d have to give this pup up.

Now, he took his time to focus on the damage done. The first thing he noticed was the rubble that crowded the entrance. A pile of wood and pieces of the wall lay in the doorway, spreading out to the hallway and a little bit of the room. The floor was layered with dust, some still swirling in the air.

It was then he realized he had no clothing on.

His eyes widened, and he pulled the blanket even more over himself. Tord chuckled while Edd handed him a fresh set of clothes. They both left the room, leaving him to himself with Dog. Even though they were gone, the door wasn’t able to close and he felt a tad bit insecure. Murmuring quietly, he swiftly pulled on these new clothes, ignoring the dust that was collecting on his socks.

Then, he remembered.

_ Susan. _

He scrambled over to the closet, yanking the door open to reveal his beloved bass. “Oh baby, you’re okay,” he whispered, hugging the instrument close. It was at this time, he sighed. He had to leave, didn’t he?

He put Susan on his still-intact bed and looked at the various boxes in the closet. There were only about three- he didn’t bring much. So, he quickly gathered his things together, making sure the boxes wouldn’t fall apart.

Dog followed him around, confused as to what the thing on his eyes was and why he could suddenly walk around by himself. He led the pup into the living room, where Tord and Edd were talking on the couch. “Sit,” Tom tested. The dog must be trained... Right? To his, and the two men on the couch’s, surprise, the service dog immediately sat down. “Uhh... Stay,” Tom commanded, walking away. The canine didn’t follow, to his relief, so he went back into his room.

He packed up the rest of his belongings, thankful his phone and charger were still unscathed. He shoved them, as well as Susan, into his pocket (nevermind how he fit the bass in there) and started packing his clothing together.

When he’d finished, he strode into the living room, watching as Matt opened the door simultaneously. “Hey, gang!” He cheered, clad in a purple suit with a white tie.

“Where were you?” Tord asked.

“On a date!”

“How’d it go..?” Edd asked, skeptical.

“Pretty well! She told me to see her in 2 days for another date,” he beamed. “What’s that box thing on your face?” Matt asked before he gasped. “Buttons!” Before Tom knew what was happening, Matt was repeatedly turning his vision on and off, as well as turning on… night vision? He sighed, letting it happen.

After about 30 more seconds, he was free of the assault. Matt smiled, walking into the hallway before turning back around. “What happened?”

“Tom turned into a monster and destroyed the wall,” Tord supplied.

“Oh, okay!” Matt turned around, to his room, before Tom called out.

“Get your stuff together, by the way! We’re leaving!”

“‘Kay!” came the distant reply.  _ Why was Matt so... Optimistic?  _ Tom couldn’t help be jealous of the ginger, either because he had a date or because he was so happy all the time he didn’t know. Why couldn’t Tom have a partner?

It wasn’t that Tom wanted sex- he was asexual for a reason, but he hadn’t outed yet- he was just… lonely. He’d been in a few relationships, but they never lasted long. He missed Stacy. She was nice. He still, occasionally, visited where she was.. Buried? Melted? It was hard to tell. He also remembered going to prom with someone... He doesn’t remember her name, but she was a coconut. She was really pretty, too. 

Nobody really knew about his talking with inanimate objects. They’d call him insane, so he never mentioned it. Only Matt and Edd knew of his parents, anyway. 

He was awoken from his thoughts when he felt something warm wrap around his legs. Looking down, he realized it was Ringo. He smiled, picking the kitten up and nuzzling it. It was no surprise he loved cats, everyone knew it, so when he started whispering sweet nothings to the purring kitten on his shoulder nobody thought he was weird.

Ringo was really sweet, he thought.

He'd love to spend more time with the feline, but it was really time for the boys to finish packing.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> comments are appreciated <3


	11. Chapter 11

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry for the short chapter im v stressed and so mnay books to update what do i do ;;  
> thank you corgi (LovelyStories on Ao3) for beta reading this chapter  
> also, i should have mentioned this long ago.  
> corgi, again, made fan art! i forgot to say it but i just remembered! here's a link, and i'm pretty sure it's for chapter 2 or 3? I don't remember.  
> Anyways here it is!  
> [Tom and Susan](https://o0jaywolf0o.tumblr.com/post/158211428423/sewlovelyyy-dedicated-to-my-dearest-bunbun)

Tom sighed, sitting down on his bed. He’d finally arrived at the apartment complex with Edd and Matt, relief radiating from him. On the way, they’d given Dog back, so he was no longer with them. He had also gotten used to the whole ‘eye mask’ deal, but only slightly.

Now home, Tom was unsure of what to do next. He lay back, bagged eyes open and a frown plastered to his face. He knew one thing for sure- he had to explain what had happened. Especially to Edd- he’d been there, after all. 

Tom wiped his hand over his forehead and through his wet hair,- he’d just finished showering- thinking over the conversation that was sure to come.

Before he could form these thoughts, knocking sounded on his apartment door. Grabbing his flask of Smirnoff, he took a swig before walking to the front door and opening it. In front of it stood both Edd and Matt- one was admiring their face and the other looked intrigued.

“What,” Tom deadpanned, taking another swig of the alcohol he held.

“I was wondering if you’d explain the whole... monster thing,” Edd stated, pushing his way into the blue-clad man’s apartment.

“Sure,” Tom breathed, sitting down on his couch. Matt and Edd followed his lead. “Where do I start..” Tom thought aloud.

“Well, back in high school when I was around 15 or so...” Tom began.

  
  


_ Tom wasn’t sure what that stupid commie wanted from him, but he took the bait that Tord had sent. Rolling his eyes again, he re-read the note that was handed to him by the red-hoodied man. “Skip history. Meet me at the back of the school. I have a surprise,” was all it read. He didn’t really trust Tord- he still hated the stupid guy- but Tord had never openly hurt him. Well, that was a lie, but Tord had not hurt him to the extent that his life was in danger. That was enough for him to decide he may as well see the what the commie had in store for him.  _

_ Rounding the last corner of the brick building, he gasped as his arm was gripped by strong hands and he was dragged behind a dumpster. He saw the silver glint of Tord’s eyes and inhaled, ready to scream, but the stench of the garbage beside him forced him to cough. “Not so fast, Tom,” Tord whispered, snatching Tom’s other arm and pulling his wrists together behind his back.  _ This was a bad idea,  _ Tom thought, as tape was wound around his head over his mouth. Before he could kick Tord, he spotted a flash of light and his eyes darted down. There, he saw a needle filled with a black liquid. _

_ Now, Tom wouldn’t have been very afraid of this because he was not scared of needles. The thing that scared him was the color of the liquid and the fact that Tord, of all people, was going to inject him with it. _

_ He started squirming, muffled yelling coming from his mouth as his eyes went white in fear. “Hold still, you idiot!” Tord hissed, elbowing his side. Tom groaned, this weak moment allowing the red-clad man to inject the serum into his arm in one quick motion. Tom yelled, tears escaping his eyes as pain almost immediately coursed through him and his legs buckled, letting him collapse to the grimy ground. His vision went dark around the edges and he felt himself lose grip on reality before the liquid in the needle took full effect. _

_ He didn’t know what happened next, only remembered waking up in his bed with dull pain aching everywhere in his body. When he had checked his arm, he saw a band-aid with a red smiley face written over it. He decided not to tell Edd or Matt about this development. _

 

Tom shivered, sighing as he finished reliving the horrid memory. He glanced up, eyes landing on the shell-shocked Matt and Edd. He didn’t want their pity, didn’t want to see or hear it, so he took a swig of Smirnoff and stood up. He walked to his room in relative peace- neither of the duo on the couch called him back- before he shut the door, letting out a tired whimper. He fell on his bed, chugging the rest of the alcohol in the flask he held before laying back and waiting for it to take effect.

What he would do next, he didn’t know.

He did know one thing, though: He was going to get  _ super _ drunk.

  
  
  
  


Edd didn’t know what to think about the whole ‘Tord’ ordeal. When he’d spoken to the red man, he had discussed what they were. Tord had assured he was still friends with both Edd and Matt and left anything about Tom unsaid. When asked about the wall, Tord had replied with, “I can handle it.”

What made him sad was the fact that he still trusted Tord.

Edd knew he shouldn’t. Tord had betrayed all of them many, many times, but Edd always looked back to when they were still friends. Before he left originally. He sighed, for the umpteenth time that day.

When Tord had left for the first time, Edd hadn’t really cared. He’d come back. He always did. But as the months, then years, had passed, he’d given up on any chance of that miracle happening. Eventually he just..  _ Forgot _ , about Tord. Not completely- when he saw the missing picture frame on the wall, or the drawing in Tom’s room, or Tord was mentioned, he would remember him. Otherwise, different things occupied his mind. So when Tord had come back, Edd had been both confused and surprised.

He sighed, thinking about Tom now. Did Tord intend for the serum to be indulged into Tom? Well, probably not, but it may have been what started Tom’s hatred for Tord. Edd wasn’t sure- he wanted to sleep everything off and maybe go shopping tomorrow since they only had 20 colas left- he had checked and counted each and every one, after all. He decided he may as well do that, and left Tom’s apartment.

Matt, slightly confused as to what was going on, followed, going to his own apartment as the sun set and the day ended.

  
  
  


Tord sighed, staring at the workers at the end of the hall. He very well could have fixed the damage Tom had done on his own, but he had business to attend to. Turning around, he made his way through the living room and up the stairs until he arrived in his room. He picked up his phone, dialing a few short numbers before holding it up to his ear. 3 rings sounded before a soft click was heard and an airy noise greeted his ears. “Yes?” the other person queried.

“I have found subject A-T20. I would like a cab to pick me up tomorrow at 6 A.M. and no later. Tell the others,” Tord spoke in a firm voice.

The other side of the line was quiet for a few moments before a huff was heard. “Are you sure?” came the unsure voice.

“Yes,” Tord replied almost immediately.

“...” A silence followed his answer before a final line of wording was heard. “Yes, Red Leader.”

The line went dead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> thank  
> so do you guys have any theories?  
> i mean   
> i know im going to make this a series (there will be a second book)  
> so what do you guys think will happen?  
> i will be ending this book in about 3 or 5 chapters? depends. its kinda vague.  
> send me asks on tumblr!! i really love them and i prefer them over comments any day <3  
> (you can use anons btw i dont mind lol)


	12. Chapter 12

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry abt the short hiatus y'all  
> i wrote all of this today im very proud even thought it's short <3 i have been lacking motivation lately

Despite the whole anti-depression thing, it was common knowledge that Tom needed pills for anger management. He was constantly mad, drunk or not, without them, and even with them, he was still rude and generally cold.

So, when he ran out of these pills and had to order new ones through the mail, he found himself holed up in his room. His hands were shaking in rage, at what he didn’t know though. This thought alone made him even more frustrated than before, and he let out an enraged huff. Still fuming, he gripped a pillow and brought it to his face before he _screamed_ , cursing and yelling out all he was angry at (which, admittedly, was quite a lot of things to be mad over).

Trembling, he slammed the pillow into the wall, hands clenched so tightly through the fabric it might’ve split had he had fingernails. He grabbed the pillow again and screeched into the softness. He wanted something to hit.

He wanted to hit _Tord_.

Just the mere thought of the red-clad man sent him spiraling back into his rage. His teeth ground together, tongue pressed so forcefully to the roof of his mouth it was starting to hurt. He released the pillow and clutched his fists into a ball, digging crescents into his palm. He, in his blind fit, broke the skin and blood welled up slowly.

A knock sounded on his apartment door and Tom, in his furor, howled at them to “Stay the fuck out!”

Breathing now, teeth still gritted, Tom sank to the floor. He had forgotten (read: refused) to take his anti-depressants today, and he guessed the effects of that were taking place now.

A rush of anxiety and melancholy washed over him and he let out an exhausted sob, shivering from the sudden mood swing. He let out wordless mumbled as he curled up in the corner of his room, burying his head in his arms.

He didn’t know why he was sad. He didn’t know why he’d been angry. But he supposed it was Tord.

When he’d told the story of him being injected with that awful serum last week, he’d _relived_ it. He had the memory, and his vocals went on auto-pilot as he watched and even _felt_ the pain of transformation. It made him so, so angry, but h felt weak. He was, in reality, just a lab rat. Just an awful lab rat.

He had been subject to Tord’s experiments and even today he was terrified of needles. That was trauma he should have been over years ago. Anyone else, surely, would have forgotten about this. He was so weak...

 _I don’t deserve Edd, or Matt,_ he thought.

...

He really needed alcohol.

  
  
  


Tom decided he would get some Alcohol, now that he’d... calmed down. He was tired and mad, but no longer sobbing on the floor was a good thing, right? Rubbing his eyes for the umpteenth time that hour, as he felt them sting, he sighed. Edd never really had alcohol, so his next choice was to go to a bar... But in this state? He was sure he’d start a few fights.

His final decision was to head over to Matt’s. Though he seemed naive and narcissistic, Matt was a pretty smart guy. He’d probably hand Tom some alcohol- Tom knew Matt had some, he’d seen him drunk on the occasion. Hell, Tom had served them drinks at a Casino countless times before he was fired.

Groaning, he made his way down the hall, stopping at the door adjacent to his own. Giving a few short raps, he waited, fixing his hair to look even slightly modest.

“Hey, neighbor!” Matt opened the door, face full of glee before it morphed into confusion. “Tom? Come in!” Matt offered.

“Uhhh..” Tom hesitated before stepping in. Luckily, this wasn’t his room covered in photos of himself, no, it was the living room. The blue-clad man made his way over to the sofa and flopped down, pushing his palms into his eyes. “Matt, give me some of your alcohol,” Tom sighed out.

“Okay,” Matt said, sauntering over to the kitchen. A few clicks sounded, as well as the slam of the fridge door, before a cold bottle of beer was shoved in Tom’s face.

 _Ugh, beer,_ Tom rolled his eyes. Ignoring this, Matt let Tom grab the bottle and watched him take a long swig.

As the alcohol ran down his throat, burning it slightly, Tom smiled. _Much better,_ he thought. “Can I have, like, 5 more, to take home?”

“But that’s all I have!” Matt whined.

Tom glared at Matt, fire in his eyes as his anger from earlier spiked up. He opened his mouth to retort, but just let out a long groan. _I shouldn’t yell, don’t yell, control yourself, don’t do it, he’s your friend, calm down Tom..._ “Please.”

Matt looked unsure but shrugged and went to the kitchen anyway. He grabbed the box of beers he had and handed them to Tom, who was now waiting by the doorway. Not bothering to say thanks, Tom walked out, leaving Matt to shut the door behind him. He took another swig of the beer, closing his eyes in relief as it slid down his throat.

“Tom?” Someone asked, spooking him.

“What!?” Tom fumed. How did someone scare him like that? He was _sure_ nobody was in the hall! Taking a quick glance around, he confirmed this. So.. who..?

“You should really stop drinking,” the voice sounded again, and this time Tom picked up on who it was. Closing his eyes for a moment, he thought hard on the person’s face before opening his eyes and seeing him.

“Hey, Jon,” Tom mumbled, staring at the ghost-like figure in front of him. “And, no, I most certainly _not_ stop drinking,” Tom finished his spiel with a drink of the beer he held.

“I’m worried about you,” Jon confessed. “I always think about you, and I... I have visions of you dying from alcohol poisoning...” Jon looks away, eyes focused on something unseen before he shivered.

Tom shrugged, grabbing a new bottle out as he’d finished the last. “Good. Death seems like a nice option right about n-”

“No!” Jon rushed. “Um... I mean, no, you really don’t want to die... It sucks, and I should know that...” Jon mumbled quickly.

“Whatever, go away,” Tom spat, anger rising again. _These mood swings are really getting out of hand_ , he thought, opening his door. He sat the bottles of beer on his table, pushing some chip bags and random bowls to the side. He propped his feet up on the table and turned the Television on, watching whatever meaningless show decided to come on.

  


“We’re here, sir,” came the voice.

“I’ll be out in a moment,” replied Tord, shoving the walkie-talkie in his pocket. Pulling on his uniform, which was slightly tattered, Tord fixed his hair and put his helmet on. Grabbing a rifle, he walked downstairs and outside.

“Paul, I want you driving. Patryck, back seat. I want to be at the base in no less than 2 hours. Got it?” Tord asked, staring up at his soldiers. Both nodded, emotionless faces put on but sweat beading down their foreheads.

“Yes sir,” they both said, before sitting in the car in their assigned seats.

“How was the army while I was away?” Tord asked, checking the glove box and pulling some papers out. He skimmed over them, signing his name on a few and striking Xs on some.

“Rowdy,” Patryck answered from the back. “They didn’t obey orders unless we said it was from your own words.”

“Is this true?” Tord asked, knowing Paul would not lie.

Paul merely nodded, eyes focused on the road as the car dipped into a pothole. Tord sighed, lighting a cigar and rolling the windows down to let the smoke out.

Staring outside, Tord let his vision wander about the neighborhood as he sipped the smoke from his cigar. Occasionally, he’d see a kid, but luckily they didn’t see his arm or face because he was on the left side of the car.

The thought of his... friends... came to him. He knew what he’d have to do soon. He knew what it would do to him. What it would do to his.. old friends. It was worth it, though. After all, karma is a bitch, is it not?

 _Enough of this,_ he shook himself from his thoughts. He had a base to run, and he still hadn’t signed all of these papers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> sorry about short chapter i needed a filler lol  
> angst next chapter~


	13. Finale

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> We reach the end.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did not take my time to fix any major grammatical errors, so please comment if you see any.

It was a few days later when Tom’s pills finally arrived. The days he’d not had them he’d stolen more alcohol from Matt and hid in his room. Now, though, he felt much better, but  _ exhausted. _ He wanted to sleep today, but Edd had other plans. Apparently, Edd was going to bring them to the park. Any other plans were unsaid, which left Tom confused. He didn’t want to go outside- he looked like a wreck, and made no move to fix that..  _ Yet. _

Sinking deeper into his couch, he sighed as his door burst open. “Tom! Let’s go,” Edd cheered, a cola in hand and smirnoff in the other. At this, Tom brightened up slightly. Sure, he was beyond tired, but a bottle of smirnoff might wake him a bit more. 

Standing up, Tom smoothed his hair back- a habit he’d picked up- before fixing it a bit more and walking over to Edd. He grasped the bottle in his hand and took it, following Edd into Matt’s apartment. “Matt, you coming?” Edd asked, rapping his knuckles on the door five times.

“One moment!” the ginger replied, voice slightly muffled. Tom took a swig from the cold smirnoff he held, smiling. It tasted much better than whatever Matt’d given him. He snapped his fingers, grabbing a butterscotch candy from his pocket and popping it in his mouth to let its flavors mix with the alcohol. 

As both men waited by the door, sipping at their drinks, Tom felt his phone vibrate. He cursed under his breath, grabbing his phone and groaning. Tord had texted him.

 

Tord: you’ve been quiet lately

Void: er,, sorry   
Void: family drama...

Tord: ohh ok   
Tord: i just wanted to message saying i won’t be online for about a week or so, maybe a little longer   
Tord: yenno, in case u think i died   
Void: oh lmao   
Void: and ok    
Void: can we chat later? or no?   
Tord: nope, i gtg rn   
Void: okay   
Void: cya in a week

Tord: cya, in a while..

  
  


Tom pocketed his phone again. It was good that Tord still didn’t know about him. Just as he was about to take another swig of smirnoff, the door burst open, revealing Matt in all his glory. “Hello, neighbors!” Matt sang.

“Hey, Matt! You ready to go to the park?” Edd pushed his fingers together.

“Yep! Let’s go,” Matt pranced down the hall, the joyous ball of energy too fast for Tom to keep up with. 

He decided to trail behind, wondering what Tord was doing right now. It seemed like he’d be out of Wi-Fi, because he was fixing the house, but knowing Tord this was probably not true. He’d probably already built the wall back  _ and  _ reinforced it, all by himself. Tom sighed, taking another sip of smirnoff. He hadn’t drank much yet- he needed to make this last, after all. Looking ahead, he realized Edd and Matt were already in the car, and he jogged ahead to catch up.

  
  
  
  


“We’re here!” Edd shouted, staring at the park in all its glory. A playground was to the left, a skate park a ways in front of them, and some food stands to the right. In the centre stood some trees and benches, as well as a few flowers scattered in the grass.

“Ooh,” Matt said, nudging Edd. “I’m gonna go get us some food, what do you want?”

“I’ll take a taco,” Tom said, unpacking Susan from his hoodie pocket somehow. 

“A burger,” Edd said, grabbing a new cola can from his pocket. Tom took a swig of his smirnoff, by now almost done with it. He wasn’t really drunk, or buzzed, but it tasted good regardless.

“Okay,” Matt walked off, a $20 in hand.

“So...” Tom said, grabbing a pick from his hoodie pocket. “I’m going to go sit down and play Susan a bit, if you wanna hang?”

“Eh, sure,” Edd shrugged, enthusiasm gone now.

Tom walked over to an empty picnic table and sat down on the tabletop, rather than the bench. Edd sat beside him and sipped at his cola, looking around. “What should I play?” asked Tom.

“I mean, whatever you fancy I guess. I’m not very good with songs,” Edd thought, remembering his emo phase and the horrid music he’d listen to. A shiver crawled up his back and he cringed. “Eugh.”

“‘kay,” Tom said, before pausing, “Hey, should I play the acoustic of that “I’m cute” song for Matt? I forget the name of it,” Tom asked, taking another swig of smirnoff.

Edd chuckled. “No, you should play Tord’s theme song again.”

“Ugh, why? Why not something like...” Tom thought for a moment. “This,” he finished, running a hand over the strings for a test. Then, he started playing a random tune that’d come up in his head. Edd clapped lamely, face bored. “Come on,” Tom sighed.

“Hey guys, I got our food! I forgot what I wanted though, so I got fries,” Matt smiled.

“How do you forg... okay, whatever, give it here,” Tom made grabby hands toward the two tacos Matt held. 

“Thanks,” Edd said, claiming his burger and taking a savory bite. “Mm, than’s Matt, you’re da besh,” Edd said, working the food in his mouth.

Tom took a bit of taco, and he could have sworn it was the best taco he’d  _ ever _ had. “Ueghh, this is  _ so _ good,” he whispered, tears in his eyes.

“Really? Can I try?” Edd asked, somehow done with his burger already..?  _ Whatever _ , Tom thought, handing Edd his taco to try. When he took a bite, he shrugged. “It’s kinda good, I’ve had better though. Too much sour cream...” Edd continued crunching, but then swallowed it. 

“How dare you insult this beautiful taco,” Tom scowled, taking the precious food back and taking a bite from the shell. He moaned, eyes fluttering at the savory taste of it.

“That’s pretty gay,” Matt commented, and Tom glared at him. Edd snickered, taking a sip of his cola. Just then, Matt spotted a shop on the far right. “Hey... Edd, I’m going to go see if I can by a mirror,” he ended the sentence with a wink. Edd blushed, nodding.

_ What’s that about? _ Tom wondered. _ Were they dating, or something? _ As Matt jogged away, though, Edd’s blush only grew...  _ What was going on? _

“Er, Tom?” Edd asked, voice small and blush hidden slightly.

“Yeah?” He cocked a brow, taking a drink of his smirnoff and frowning at the few drops that came out.

“I wanted to ask... If..” Edd pushed his fingers together, before sighing and pulling out a piece of paper. “This. Just read this, and tell me.. if you want to be this...” Edd blushed again, hiding his face in his hood and handing the paper over.

Tom’s eyes scanned the thin sheet, reading it slowly before his eyes widened. 

 

“ _ Queerplatonic Partnership/Quasiplatonic/Quirkyplatonic: Adjective describing a relationship which is more intense and intimate than is considered common or normal for a "friendship", but doesn't fit the traditional sexual-romantic couple model. It is characterized by a strong bond, love, and emotional commitment, yet is not perceived by those involved as "romantic". The people involved do not have to identify as "queer", it's a type of relationship experienced by and available to anybody regardless of their sexual orientation, romantic orientation, or (non-)monogamy. Queerplatonic partners or QPs are sometimes referred to as "zucchini". As in, "he's my zucchini". _ ”

  
  


Tom looked up, a slight blush covering his cheeks.  _ Am I drunk? _ he thought, staring at Edd, who was also red-faced. It was true, yes, that Tom and Edd were essentially best friends now. Well, really they all were (with the exception of Tord) best friends, but Edd was just...  _ closer _ to Tom than Matt.  _ Do I want this? _ Tom asked himself, re-reading the text on the paper.

_....yes... I do, _ Tom smiled, dropping the paper and leaning forward to hug Edd. “Yep, because now I get to call you my zucchini!” Tom chuckled, laughing with Edd. 

As they separated, both blushes gone slightly, they looked around. “Isn’t this the part where Matt comes running to us and yelling about his face, or something..?” Tom asked, scratching the back of his neck.

“...there he is,” Edd said quietly, focused on Matt who really was... running. Like, fast.

On closer inspection, he looked  _ terrified _ . “Uh... Matt?” Tom called out. Matt either didn’t hear them, or ignored them, because he booked it right past the table. After a few seconds, two men dressed in blue suits and red turtlenecks followed, shouting after the ginger.

“Oh shit!” Tom jumped up, grabbing Edd and pulling him off the table after him. 

Edd ran past him, slightly faster than the blue-clad man. They darted through the trees, trying to see where Matt had gone, before... He stopped yelling.

“Matt!?” Edd called out, dodging a limb that Tom was whacked with. 

“Ow!” He muttered, speeding ahead to catch up with Edd.

When they emerged from the trees, Matt and the other two men were nowhere to be found. Tom felt panic settle in and his fingers twitched, as well as his eye. 

“Come on, this way!” Edd breathed, anxiety and desperation clear in his voice. He vanished behind a line of port-a-potties and Tom trailed after. He froze as he saw both Edd and Matt struggling with four men with the same outfit as before, each one fighting two off. 

Before he could go to help, he felt a rag pressed against his nose and the scent of chloroform encompassed him. His eyes widened and he thrashed wildly but found more hands grabbing him, removing his ability to react. He kicked one of them and his arm was free, but the chemicals took final effect and he fell to the ground, rendered unconscious before he could make a move to stop them.

  
  
  


When Tom awoke some time later- which, he was honestly unsure about how much time had passed,- he was strapped to a testing table in a blindingly bright room. He squinted, struggling against his bonds just as the door clicked and swung open with a ‘ _ bang! _ ’ as it collided with the wall. He opened his eyes a bit further, looking to his left and right and seeing Edd and Matt, both awake but in separate rooms.The Turning back to the door, Tom saw someone who seemed vaguely familiar but he couldn’t place his finger on it. They were, however, clad in a familiar uniform... And then, it hit him.

_ The Red Army’s uniform.. This is the same man chasing Matt.. _

He dared not speak, for the man had a pistol strapped to his side. He had winged bangs that showed his forehead and brown, dull eyes. He pulled a walkie-talkie from his pocket and clicked it on. “Beginning on Tom as of now, Sir,” he spoke.  _ Of course Tord told his name to this dude.. _

“What do you want?” Tom spat.

“I would like your opinion on the Red Leader, or, as you know him, Tord,” the man spoke.

“What’s your name?” Tom glared, dodging the question. When the man didn’t respond, Tom decided he’d answer. “I hate him. Tord’s a fuckup who deserves to rot in hell with that stupid robot of his,” he admitted honestly. The man scribbled down a few notes before sighing.

“What do you think of joining the Red Army?” He asked.

“I wouldn’t do it if my life was on the line,” Tom retorted, eyes glaring knives into the face of the man before him.

“What if your friend’s lives were on the line?” the person asked, tilting his head slightly.

Tom hesitated, looking left and right, seeing his friends shouting wordlessly as tears streamed down their faces. They were both being held with a gun to their heads, hands and feet strapped in the same way Tom was now. He felt a pang of pain in his stomach, turning to bile. “I..” Tom whispered, the shock of seeing his friends held hostage finally arriving.

They hadn’t been like that before, had they? This interrogation had only started a few minutes ago... “I would join the Army,” Tom stated, hanging his head low.

“And if they died anyway?” the person asked.

Almost instantly Tom’s head shot up and he whipped his head left and right, making sure his friends were alive. They were, and relief filled him.

“I would not join the army if they died,” Tom said, tears pricking in his eyes as fear built in his chest.

“If you had to choose, would you rather yourself join the army or your friends?”

“Myself,” Tom sighed.

“And, lastly, would you rather yourself have a higher rank and be treated with more respect, or them?”

“Them,” he said finally. The man nodded, grabbing his walkie-talkie and walking out of the room. What this meant for him, he didn’t know. He was scared, though, he had to admit. He looked to his left and right, watching the two other soldiers walk out of the room. What was left behind were the shivering bodies of both Edd and Matt, tears still streaking down their faces. Tom sighed with relief.  _ It could’ve been worse, _ he thought.

  
  


When the lights flickered on the next day, and Tom woke up in the same position he’d fallen asleep in, he let out a sob. He didn’t want to be trapped here, but maybe he deserved it…

He realize he didn’t have his pills, and that was probably why he was so emotional now. Hanging his head, he closed his eyes and let the painful realization that he was hopeless sink in. “Tom,” someone asked, but he didn’t look up.

“Go away,” Tom mumbled.

“I would advise raising your head,” said a familiar voice. At this, Tom’s head bolted upright and anger filled him.

“Tord! What do  _ you _ want?!” he spat.

“I just have a question,” Tord sighed, a lame look on his face. “I know this was asked before, but I would like to know myself if you would sacrifice yourself for your friends?” He smirked.

Tom paused. “...Yes,” he muttered. 

“Great!” the uniformed man chuckled. “Paul, Patryck, come in now!” Tord called in his walkie-talkie. Not 30 seconds later, two men (one his interviewer from earlier and another with huge eyebrows that had been kidnapping Matt) walked into the room. “Transfer him to room #703 please.”

“But, sir, that’s the-” the one with bushy eyebrows started.

“Did I stutter, Paul?” Tord asked, rising to his full height (which was slightly shorter than any of the men in the room).

“N-no, sir,” Paul sighed.

“Right. I don’t see you opening the cart,” Tord picked at his nails.

“Sorry,” Paul replied in a hushed voice. _ If his name is Paul, the guy who interviewed me must be Patryck, _ Tom realized. 

After a few moments, Paul and Patryck had lowered the cart Tom was on and he was now facing the ceiling. He looked left, seeing Patryck, then right, seeing Paul. He didn’t speak, for he was afraid he’d vent his overboiling emotions (which he weren’t sure were of). Instead, he let them wheel him out of the room and past Edd’s, which was on the left of his original room.

They went past countless hallways, the cart rolling by many soldiers. Each and every one took their time to salute Tord, who was ahead them, and some even bowed as he walked by.  _ He must be really respected, _ Tom noted.

Finally, they entered a white room (much like all the others) with bright lights and a metal door to lock them in. As they entered, Patryck closed the door and it clicked softly as it locked. Tom stared blankly at the ceiling as Paul and Tord walked over to the corner to discuss something quietly while Patryck stood by Tom, posture clean and formal. Upon closer inspection, Tom could see his hands were quivering slightly, covered with a thin coat of sweat. 

Before he could ponder this, he was suddenly unstrapped and his wrists were being gripped by Paul and Patryck. He was dragged over to the corner of the room, struggling against the bulky men on his sides all the way through. “Let me go,” Tom pleaded, desperation filling his voice.

“No,” both men responded in unison, sitting him down and shackling his wrists. They looked at their work, nodded, and walked away, to Tord’s sides. 

“Nice work,” the Red Leader praised, smiling devilishly. Tom raised his hands, seeing cuffs on each one with chains that led to the wall. Behind him was a tall, slim window that if he had stood on his toes he still wouldn’t be able to reach. Yanked from his thoughts, he glared at Tord. “So, Tom, one more time. Repeat after me, if you will,” he spoke, grabbing a switch and flicking it on. Just then, a corner popped up from the floor, staring right at Tom and just beyond a faint line on the floor. “Entry one, day one. My name is Tom Boulpien and I have chosen to sacrifice myself for my friends on my own accord,” Tord said, flicking the camera on.

Tom, anger in his eyes, sighed. “Entry one, day one. My name is Tom Boulpien and I have chosen to sacrifice myself for my friends on my own accord,” he repeated, voice low and uncomfortable.

Tord turned the camera off then, pressing another button and then a switch on the wall that made the camera become sealed into the floor again.

“So, Tom,” Tord smiled.

“Welcome to your new home!” Tord’s voice boomed, an undertone evident in his voice.

“You mean.. I’ll be staying here for a while?”

“Try for the rest of your life, and,” Tord raised his hands into a ‘sure’ gesture, “bingo!”

Tom told himself it was fine. To him, it was, as long as his friends were safe.

But to what extent was he willing to believe this, and for how long?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So as you may guess, this is the end.  
> The end of the book.  
> I really have enjoyed writing this book. I hope you've enjoyed reading it.
> 
> There WILL be a sequel book (Aka a book that comes after this)  
> The next book will be out after a short hiatus, and during that hiatus I will be planning the book. I have a very basic and general idea of how I want it to go so I need to plan the events. I will, also, be writing on my two other fics (one a joke and the other a crack fic) and planning out another book I plan to begin as soon as I finish the next book of TDoD (which will be called something else)! Teasers will be posted on my Tumblr!
> 
> The only way to really speed up the process of me writing the book would be to encourage me, and, aside from sounding greedy, that would probably be making fanart or just telling me you like the book. I live off of encouragement. I would have ended this book in the first chapter if I had not been told it was a good book (and yes, this was planned to be a one-shot but I changed it up). 
> 
> When the second book comes out I will write a new chapter with a link to the book.
> 
> Once again, thank you all for reading. I hope the second book is just as satisfactory as this one was, or, hopefully, even moreso. I guess this is bye for a now.
> 
>  
> 
> Cya in the next one.
> 
>  
> 
> ( Fan Art: https://o0jaywolf0o.tumblr.com/post/158211428423/sewlovelyyy-dedicated-to-my-dearest-bunbun )


	14. Chapter 14

Hello.

As you know, I finished this book about a week or two back.

I have recently posted the sequel to this book. It is on my work listings; but if you want a link, here.

Thank you for reading this book- I hope to see you in the next!

 

[The Puppeteer's Marionette](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10744737)

[(http://archiveofourown.org/works/10744737)](http://archiveofourown.org/works/10744737)

**Author's Note:**

> Follow my [Tumblr (o0JayWolf0o)!](https://o0jaywolf0o.tumblr.com).


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